


Always and Forever

by Lilianawinchester



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Awesome Peggy Carter, Awesome Pepper Potts, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Child Neglect, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Harley Keener & Peter Parker Friendship, Harley Keener & Peter Parker are Siblings, Harley Keener is a little shit, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, M/M, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Shuri Friendship, Peter Parker Has a Family, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Jarvis (Iron Man movies), Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Loves His Bots, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2020-02-29 16:06:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 273,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18781603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilianawinchester/pseuds/Lilianawinchester
Summary: Growing up Tony had learnt the best way to do things was on your own. He hadn't needed anyone before so why should he rely on anyone but himself. At least until Peter came along to destroy all his walls.~~~Tony is left to secretly raise his biological son, Peter





	1. Promises

**Author's Note:**

> This is how I'm dealing with Endgame. I loved it so much but it killed me so I'm here to try and deal with that pain.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony Stark growing up and attending MIT where he meets two new friends

**_She was dancing for her most favourite song inside the home that was built on promises. And every time a promise was broken, a part of the home collapsed. At the end of the song, she was homeless again._ **

**_\- Akshay Vasu_ **

 

~~~

 

  Tony had spent much of his life alone. Sure there was the constant stream of servants, nannies and butlers through his childhood but they were more like ghosts than anything else. Never there - not even when they were. Always just out of reach. Kept permanently at a distance.

  Even his family were nowhere in sight. Turns out running a company takes up a lot of time, especially when what little time you do have is spent searching for a lost supersoldier. By the time he was three, he’d spent more time with the butlers family than his own. Even Maria seemed constantly tied up with one of her many duties. He never was sure what she did but it kept her busy for a great deal of time.

  Tony didn't mind though.

  It hadn’t always been that way. There had once been a time when Maria had actually been around. He knew she still tried but it had gotten harder. Things were expected of her and a child really didn’t fit into her schedule. Sometimes he wondered why they’d ever had him. Neither of them had time for a child and Howard didn’t even seem to want a child. Not really. It never really made much sense to him.

  When he’d been younger Maria would sit with him every night and read him stories. His favourites were always the stories about Daedalus - the genius inventor from greek mythology. An inventor locked away in a tower. At an arm's length from the rest of the world. He wonders how many times he lay in his bed, listening to his mother's soft voice reading out those familiar words.

  Even though he had teachers to teach him everything he needed to know, she’d taken the time out of her life to teach him italian. Her first language. Although she’d been born and raised in America, her family: the Carbonell's, came from Italy. It was the last piece of her heritage she had left so she’d passed it onto him. She would sing to him in Italian as her deft fingers drifted across the piano keys. Sometimes, when Howard was away, they’d spend days speaking to each other only in Italian. As a kid he’d seen it as their own secret language - not quite grasping the concept yet.

  "Do you love me mama?" He'd ask as he sat there on the piano stool next to her. 

  "Of course my little Antonio." She would pinch his cheeks and hold him close. Her face would be buried in his curls, breathing him in quietly.

  "Does papa love me?" He asked after a weighty silence.

  "With all his heart my little gattino." She tried to smile while she spoke but it didn't reach her eyes. Her hands fell away from his face as she sat up straight at the piano again. Once again her fingers resume playing, slicing through the silence.

  "Are you ever going to leave me?" He whispered once the song was over.

  "I'm never going to leave you - not for long anyway." She turned to face him again.

  "Do you promise?"

  "I promise."

  "What about when I'm big and don't need you anymore?" He whispered, leaning in closer to her.

  "You're my little gattino, you will always need me. And as long as you need me, I will never let you drive away on your own." One finger carefully brushed across his rosy cheek. 

  Although she'd kept playing it felt like she'd already said everything that had needed to be said.

  Those days had to come to and end though. Bit by bit she’d disappeared from him. He saw her at dinner times (when she was around) and at charity balls but rarely in between. Even when she was around she wasn't really there. She'd often be found sat alone in the library on the window seat. Although a book was open on her lap, she'd always be looking out the window.

  They’d stopped bringing Tony on their trips as well. He had work to do at home with the tutors and Howard hadn’t wanted to take Tony away from his studies. Business trips weren't a place for a young child anyway. It wasn't like he'd ever been allowed out to sightsee like all the other kids. He didn't really count it as much of a loss. Life was happier in the mansion with Jarvis anyway.

  Growing up, his favourite days had been when his godmother came to visit. Aunt Peggy would take him into the garden and teach him how to sword fight with wooden sticks. Unlike everyone else in his life, she treated him like a child. While his mother was all soft edges and comforting smells, Aunt Peggy was sharp points and mess. Mud and bruises. They'd spend hours playing games and undertaking secret missions in the sprawling backyard.

  Eventually she'd taken over Marias job of reading him bedtime stories. Gone were the ancient greek myths Maria used to tell him in place of stories about the very soldier his father had chosen over him. 

  "- and then he jumped straight onto the grenade." Peggy exclaimed as if it were the first time she was telling it. 

  They were hidden under the little Fort they'd built for themselves. Tony's duvet was propped up carefully to create a perfectly cone shape tent just about big enough to fit the two of them. Between the heat of their own bodies and the heat coming from the torches and lights hung up on the inside it began to feel more like an oven than anything else. Tony never wanted to leave though. Here he was safe. Here he wasn't alone.

  "But why would he do that?" It was the one part of the story he'd never understood. Why would anyone jump on a grenade? It would kill you. Why would anyone ever do that? 

  "Because he was a hero." Pride lit up her face. She radiated with a warm glow that would even spread to Tony. A feverish love for the small frail soldier that had led America to victory.

  "But he was Steve Rogers then, not Captain America." Tony furrowed his brow as he looked down at the drawing of Steve before the serum. He didn't look like much to be fair. Nothing more than a bag of bones really. 

  "Steve Rogers was every bit as much a hero as Captain America - if not more. He didn't hesitate to jump on what he believed to be a live explosive to protect others, even if it killed him. That's what makes a hero. Not a serum or powers, a good heart." Peggy pressed her fingers against Tony's chest. Right above his heart. 

  A hero. 

  The image Peggy painted of the little kid from Brooklyn curled up around the grenade stuck with him long after she left. Slowly he began to see why Howard cared so much about Captain America. He was the embodiment of righteousness. A true hero.

  He could tell Peggy agreed with Howard. That everything would be okay if they could just find Steve. He was more important than anything else - even family. Of course Peggy would agree...wouldn't she? Once upon a time she loved Steve. Why wouldn't she agree with Howard? 

  Although Peggy must’ve been close with Howard for him to make her Tony's godmother he’d never seen any evidence of it. In fact, she spent more time yelling at him than anything else. God he’d respected her so much for that. No one else had ever yelled at his father before. At least not that he’d seen. It was strangely satisfying to see him get yelled at for a change.

  As he got older even those visits became less and less common until they were virtually nonexistent. Perhaps there were something wrong with him. Some reason no one stuck around. Some reason he was left all alone.

  The only constants in his life were Ana and Edwin Jarvis. They’d been there since the day he’d been born, taking care of him whenever they needed to. Soon it was them he went to when he scraped his knee. Them he went to when he wanted someone to read him a bedtime story. Them he went to when he wanted hot milk before bed. It never was quite the same though. He loved the Jarvis’ - they raised him - but they weren’t his family. They were staff. Nothing more.

  As he got older, he went to them less and less too. They were still there if he needed them but he found he didn't really need them. Or anyone for that matter. If he wanted hot milk, he could go and make it himself. Sure, he might need to drag a chair over to the stove but he could do it. He’d watched them do it enough times so why shouldn’t he be able to do it himself. If he wanted a bedtime story he could just read it to himself. His tutors were the best of the best so soon enough he was ploughing through books.

  All his lessons had lead him to one answer: if he wanted something done he should do it himself. He clinged to that small piece of control with everything he had. Everything was up to him. No one else was needed to keep him running. Self sustaining. He was happy. 

  People come and go so you have to make your own constants. 

  He spent a lot of time in Howard's lab while the man was away on business. Everytime he made sure to leave no trace of himself behind. The lab was _Howard’s_ place. His alone. No place for a four year old. Of course, that never stopped him. Why would he stay away when all of the coolest toys were down there? After all, if Howard enjoyed it so much down there, maybe Tony would too.

  When he was down there amongst all of the circuitry he felt closer to Howard. He understood the man he’d always seen from across the room slightly better.

  Bit by bit, he taught himself how to build a circuit board. It wasn't anything special, the menial kind of work they had machine do nowadays, but it was _his_. He'd made it with his own two hands and that meant something. Maybe not to Howard or Uncle Obie but to him.

  Maria had been the first to find him hidden away in the lab by himself. She'd been looking to find him for his piano lessons and had eventually found him bent over his little circuit board. Sometimes she wondered if his soft heart was too similar to herself but in that moment he looked more like Howard than she could ever have imagined.

  Of course the media had lapped it up. The prodigy Tony Stark. His father's son through and through. Everyone wanted a photo of the young prodigy. For the first time, Howard actually showed an interest in his only child, signing them both up for a seemingly endless list of photoshoots.

  What did it matter if the bright lights hurt Tony’s eyes?

  He was the future.

  He quickly graduated from circuit boards and began moving onto bigger and bigger projects. For his fifth birthday Howard gave him his lab. Of course he never told Howard what he really wanted wasn’t a lab to himself - he already had one of those. What he wanted was to not be in the lab alone anymore.

  Soon even going outside became difficult. Every party and outing Maria organised was interrupted by a stream of paparazzi and reporters trying to talk to Howard and by extension Tony. Everywhere he turned there was a camera in his face. Documenting everything he did. He'd clutch at his mother's skirt, trying to hide his face from the leering onlookers.

  “Sweetie, it's okay to come out now.” She'd mutter, patting his head soothingly. Even when they were inside the car he'd keep his face pressed against her. Covering his eyes from the blinding lights. The warm smell of cinnamon and ginger wrapping around him. Protecting him.

  “Here.” She pulled out a pair of red tinted sunglasses, a couple of sizes too big for his face. Carefully, she placed them on his face, concealing his eyes somewhat from the harsh world beyond.

  “Why am I wearing glasses? It's not sunny outside.” He mumbled, trying to adjust the glasses with his chubby toddler hands.

  “They're your armour. So long as you have these you will always be safe.” She whispered, wiping the tears from his cheeks.

  After that day, he refused to go out without his glasses. Come rain or shine, the glasses were there. As the years went on he outgrew them and traded his one pair for a whole collection. Perfect for any occasion. Perfect for every occasion.

  “Why did you give him those damn glasses Maria? He looks ridiculous. Every photo has him in those damn things.” Howard would yell during the few dinners he attended. As much as the young stark wanted to impress his father, he would never take the glasses off. It was the one thing he could never do. He’d tried a couple of times, for Howard's sake, but he was always quickly overwhelmed. They were his armour. Without them he would be vulnerable. Exposed. 

  Of course, they didn't help the fact that for every article that painted Tony in a good light, there were five that did the opposite. What did it matter if he was a child? What did it matter if it wasn't true? Nice stories didn't sell newspapers. Headlines did.

  Things didn't get better when he went to boarding school at age seven. In fact, they only got worse. Now there were more people who could sell stories for a fast buck. He'd finally gotten out of the empty mansion to find an empty school. Hundreds of children surrounded him at all times but he was as alone as ever.

  Every time he'd thought he was making a friend, a story would surface in the media. Something private and personal. Something he had hoped would stay a quiet. Soon it became easier to stay alone rather than read about the latest scandal in the paper. People would pin the stories up in the common room for all to see.

  Holidays would mean going back to an empty mansion. Walking the halls alone. It would mean waking up to nothing. It would mean days spent hidden away in his lab, killing the time by building engines (his latest favourite project). But going back to school meant having to go back to the neverending crowds of people. Endless seas of unfriendly faces. It seemed there was no winning.

  It didn't help that he hadn't seen Peggy at all since starting boarding school. He longed for the good old days when she would visit every few weeks go play with him. Now the only guest was Obadiah. 

  As much as he liked Obadiah, he didn't make great company. Most of the time he just liked to talk business. It made for incredibly dry conversations - especially in the eyes of a child. It was better than echoes though.

  It was hard to figure out what part of his life was more lonely. 

  Try as he might, he still couldn’t bring himself to take off his armour. Eventually the teachers gave up punishing him. Wrote him off as a problem child. It turned out to be one of the best things that happened to him. The lessons were dull anyway - years below his level. He wasted away his days drifting between lessons and detentions yet still managing to stay afloat - much to his teachers dismay.

  Of course, staying afloat wasn’t enough. Tony never had been one for just getting by. He ground the others into the dirt. He soared above them all. Sometimes his mind would flick back to the stories his mother used to tell him. Back to the stories of Icarus and Daedalus. Soaring too close to the sun would melt your wings. Looking around at his classmates he decided his mother was wrong. The moral of the story wasn’t to not fly too close to the sun. If people with wax wings couldn’t fly too close to the sun he would just have to make himself a new pair of wings. An iron pair of wings.

  Slowly, he flew away from the rest of his classmates. If the difference between them hadn’t been clear before, now it was. With the newfound distance came an attitude. What was the point in pretending to not be better than the rest of them? They treated him as he if was different to them so that’s exactly how he was going to treat them. What was it Jarvis had said: treat others how you would like to be treated? Clearly this is how they wanted to be treated. Anyone that hadn’t hated him before definitely did now and he was surprisingly okay with that. People had never done anything for him anyway.

  Pretty soon it was clear they couldn’t keep on going this way. No one could pretend Tony belonged here anymore and Howard was quick to agree. After all, the sooner Tony was out of school, the sooner Howard could make use of him. The sooner SI could get their hands on his mind and ideas. Tony had stayed up late into the night listening to the adults discuss his future. Apparently there hadn’t been a place for him amongst the discussions. His own future was out of his control.

  They’d talked about homeschooling him again but, unsurprisingly Howard was against the idea. For as long as Tony could remember the man had been trying to find a way to put physical distance between the two of them. Why else would the man constantly be shipping his only son off to boarding schools on the opposite side of the country for months at a time? Despite everything that had changed it seemed that fact never would.

  So the next year he found himself in a new boarding school. Hundreds of new faces to learn. Hundreds of new people to talk to. He fooled himself into believing it would be better this time.

  A new start.

  Turns out the only real change was that he was now a nine year old surrounded by eleven year olds - a fact they’d all made very clear. No matter where he went people didn't change. So it wasn’t long before he moved schools again.

  And again.

  And again.

  By thirteen the stories had changed. Now the stories being pinned up were stories about the relationships he hadn't actually had with the people he thought were friends. No one cared what was true. No one cared.

  So he gave up.

  He was going to take back control of his life. Years without control were slowly killing him. His head was under water. Slowly drowning him. Stealing the air from his very lungs. Everything was dulled and muted around him. A distant buzz of another world. Another life. He was going to drown down here alone. He had to do something.

  For the first time in years he opened his mouth and breathed. Put on his armour and he did exactly what everyone wanted him to. He gave them a story. Hell, he gave them years worth of stories. He was years above all his other classmates in every lesson so he had plenty of time to juggle his nightlife, school and his own personal lab time.

  While everyone else thought he was sleeping or drinking, he hid away in his room, tinkering with his latest projects. The last piece of freedom he had. His safe place.

  That's when he created his first bot. Dum-E. He was nothing particularly amazing but he was Tony’s. He kept him company while he worked through the long nights and was with him as every new article came to surface. He didn't dare show anyone, making sure to keep him carefully hidden away. He knew exactly how Howard would feel if he found out his only son and heir was wasting his time building childish robots. He already knew how the man looked at him every holiday. How much he disapproved of his life choices.

  His first attempt at AI was a complete accident. He must’ve been drunk because the entire night is blur. The morning after a huge party he’d woken up to find out he’d been playing around with Dum-E’s code during the night. It looked random and chaotic, clearly done half consciously but somehow he’s come closer to an AI than ever before.

  It was a far cry from perfect. The little bot had an obsession with putting motor oil into every drink and fire extinguishers but he clearly understood Tony. Every time Tony asked him a question he’d whir loudly and do his best to respond to what Tony was saying.

  Growing up he’d always wanted a puppy and it seemed as usual, he’d had to end up building one for himself. Despite all of Dum-E’s flaws, he couldn’t bring himself to change the little guy. The idea of changing him just didn’t sit well. If drinking motor oil every now and then was the price he had to pay for the company then he’d pay it a million times over.

  When the holidays came he found himself stowing Dum-E away in his bag to try and take him back home. Keeping him away from Howard would be a chore but it felt crueler to leave him alone in the dorm all holiday. Soon he realised the hardest part would be getting him to stay quiet in his bag. He hadn’t built him with an off button, after all he was an AI now, so there was no way to guarantee his silence.

  “You’re going to have to be quiet now Dum-E, can you do that?” He asked the bot as he gently placed him in his bag. The bot whirred happily, spinning around and getting himself twisted up in Tony’s clothes.

  “I said quiet!” He hissed, glaring at Dum-E. He whirrs quieter this time and looks up at Tony expectantly. Pride swelled in his chest at the sight of his little creation. Had his father ever felt like this when he looked at Tony? Was this how it felt to be a parent?

  “Good boy.” He smiled and patted his head. Dum-E whirred quietly again, nudging Tony’s hand. As he zipped up the bag Dum-E suddenly got louder in protest.

  “What did I say? I will donate you to the boy scouts.” Tony hissed threateningly. The threat must’ve worked because Dum-E didn’t make a sound after that. He could feel Dum-E shifting in his bag but luckily he didn’t whirr again until Tony unzipped the bag in his lab. 

  Uncle Obie had been staying with them that summer. He wasn’t sure if anyone else had noticed but the man was slowly spending more time with them. With Tony. Arriving back home that holiday the man took a strange shine to him. He paid more attention than ever to everything Tony did. It was oddly nice to have someone paying so much attention to what he did, even if it was a bit creepy.

  It quickly became clear why Howard and Obie were actually staying at the mansion this summer.

  “MIT have offered you a place next school year. Maria and I think you should take the offer.” Howard waited until they were in the middle of their first whole family meal in years to speak. Everyone stayed completely quiet for a few seconds after that. Tony wasn’t fooling himself by pretending there was an option here. Howard had already made this decision for him. Just like always.

  He wasn’t exactly surprised. It shouldn’t make much of a difference anyway, he’d been bouncing around from school to school ever since he was nine. Going to MIT would just be another bump in his school career.

  He just wished he’d made the choice himself.

  That’s how he ended up here. Outside MIT. Waiting in front of what was to be his home for the next three years. Dum-E whirrs quietly in his back, earning him some odd looks from the other students.

  He looks down at the key in his hand. The key to his new room. As stupid as it is, he doesn’t want to open that door. He’s been to five different boarding schools in his life, this is no different. _Except now he has to actually share a room with someone_ …

  Taking a deep breath he opens the door. It swings open with ease, allowing him into his new home. It doesn’t look any different to all the other rooms he’s been dumped in over the years. Just another empty room. Another blank slate.

  There are two beds on either side of the room and a desk in front of each. Nothing special or new. In all honesty he's had nicer in other boarding schools but he doesn't really care. It's all the same really. 

  It seems he’s not the first one here. His new roommate is already setting up his stuff in the room. Their bed has been made and their books are already out on their desk. They are mid way through unpacking all their clothes into the wardrobe.

  Tony’s not entirely sure what he’d been expecting but the guy looks nice. He’s tall and dark skinned, cleary at least four years older than Tony. He’s been surrounded by people older than him his whole life so this shouldn’t be any different.

  He struts into the room without an introduction, accidentally slamming the door behind him. His new roommate jumps at the sound, almost dropping the shirt he was holding. He quickly stops organising his clothes to give Tony the once over.

  “James Rhodes.” He says holding his hand out to Tony. Although his smile seems innocent and pleasant enough, Tony had learnt not to trust a nice smile. Nice smiles aren’t the best way to judge a person.

  “Tony.” Tony mutters, completely ignoring the other boys hand.

  “This must be a bit of a scary experience for you.” He chuckles, taking a seat on his bed. He’d hoped the other guy would’ve taken the hint but apparently not. He’s one of _those_ guys.

  “Not really. I’m used to this by now.” He sighs. If anything it’s a tedious experience. After a while the novelty of new places wears off.

  “You move schools a lot then?” He asks pleasantly.

  “Something like that.”

  “Well, I haven't and it’s a weird feeling.”

  "Good for you. You get used to it.”

  “Look I get you don’t like me very much but this year will be much easier if you actually make an effort.” James sighs, taking a step towards Tony. His hand is outstretched again. An unwanted olive branch. If he’d wanted an olive branch he would’ve shaken the boys hand the first time.

  “Making an effort isn’t really my thing.” Tony grumbles, purposely walking past the other boys hand. Knocking the hand out of the way as he barges by.

  “Clearly.” He mutters but without the usual malice that Tony is used to. It’s oddly refreshing.

 Neither of them speak again as they set up their new room. Several times Tony catches James watching him curiously. Has he read all the newspaper articles? Does he recognise him? Does it really matter anymore?

 Once they’ve set up, James takes a seat at his desk and starts opening up his books. No rest for him then. Most people would at least take a days break but apparently not this guy. Tony kind of admires it to be honest. Personally he often chooses to lose himself in his work to pass the time but he knows he's unusual. Eccentric is another common one.

  Without any college work to get doing, Tony is able to get out his own personal designs. Blueprints he'd been working on for a new bot. A companion for Dum-E.

  His eyes drift over to the bag with Dum-E in it tucked to one side. Shame creeps up on him for keeping Dum-E locked away in the bag but he still has no clue what this guy is like. For now he's safer in the bag, even if he is a little cramped and lonely.

  Hours tick by as they work in near silence. Scratching of pencils on paper is the only sound that echoes between them both. It's almost calming to hear the sound of someone else's pencil moving alongside Tony's. He’d almost forgotten how it felt to work alongside someone else.

  “I’m going out now, do you wanna come along?” James asks tenuously. He knows he probably should go along too and get to know the college better but he doesn’t have the strength to force himself out of the room.

  “I’m fine. You go ahead.” He grumbles, keeping his eyes on his sketches. His eyes are slowly threatening to shut on him but he can’t afford to fall asleep. He’s gone longer without sleeping in the past. He can manage a couple more hours.

  “If you’re sure.” He says uncertainly as he gets up from his chair and grabs his coat. “Make sure you get some sleep.” He adds softly before leaving the room.

  Without the sound of James scribbling on the next desk over, the room sounds so quiet. Too quiet. He tries to work in the silence for a few more minutes but quickly realises it's not going to happen.

  Cautiously, Tony slips out of his chair and walks over to his bed. One hand reaches under the bed to drag out his unopened bag. It's heavier than all the others he had primarily because Dum-E weighs lot. You'd think he wouldn't be too heavy because he's fairly small but you'd be wrong. Somehow the little guy weighs a ton (not literally of course).

  “Hey there. Sorry about that.” He whispers as he frees Dum-E from the bag. He whirrs happily at his new found freedom as Tony gently sets him down on the floor. As soon as his little wheels touch the floor he begins spinning in little circles on the new floor. Trying to get a feel for the space.

  “Don't make too much noise, we don't want to bug the new neighbors.” He chides. As much as he loves Dum-E, the little guy can make a lot of noise when he wants to. And he always wants to.

  With the sound of Dum-E in the background, Tony sits down at his desk and begins getting back to work. It's easier to concentrate with some kind of background noise. Maybe he should get headphones and try listening to music while he worked…

  Just as he's getting into the flow of the work, Dum-E rams into his ankles. He jerks away, trying to figure out what's going on. There doesn't appear to be any immediate threat but there's a small ball of paper by his ankles which Dum-E seems to have located from the waste paper basket. How he managed to find it, Tony will never know. One of life's great mysteries.

  “What you got there?” Tony asks, gently picking up the ball of paper. Dum-E chirps at Tony, talking in his own special way. Maybe…

  Curiously, Tony throws the ball of paper a meter or so away, letting it fall lamely to the ground. Dum-E watches animatedly, looking between Tony and the ball. For a few seconds, Tony thinks it might be beyond his capability to understand the gesture but slowly he wheels over to the ball. Ever so slowly, he picks up the ball with his tiny clawed hand and examines it. After a few more seconds, he turns back to Tony and quickly dashes over - the ball in hand. He drops it at Tony feet proudly, desperate for validation.

  “Good boy!” Tony grins, patting Dum-E’s head. He'd joked about Dum-E being a dog before but now he really is a little dog.

  For the first ten minutes or so, chucking the ball around for Dum-E while he works is fun but the novelty quickly wears off for Tony. Unfortunately, it doesn't for Dum-E. Although the fun ended after ten minutes, he still finds himself throwing the paper ball 2 hours later. By this point, his eyes are practically closed. Try as he might he can't even summon the strength to get up to get into bed. He's not really sure why he's suddenly this tired, he's gone longer without sleeping after all. No matter the reason, he finds himself drifting off to sleep still at his desk. Dum-E nudges him slightly in an attempt to keep him awake but it's clear nothing short of coffee is going to keep him awake anymore.

   _Just five minutes…_ He thinks to himself. _It's not like five minutes will do any harm…_

  Slowly the world fades to black as sleep finally takes ahold of him. It's an oddly pleasant darkness. Not the darkness of emptiness. The darkness of everything. Like the darkness of infinite space hanging above him. The promise of more. Of wonders. A strange sanctuary compared to his normal dreams. For once he's actually sad when he starts to rouse prematurely.

  Even half asleep, he can tell the sound that woke him is the sound of his new roommate coming through the door. He's clearly attempting to be quiet but it's failing miserably. If Tony could wake up enough to actually speak he might say that to him but for now, lying half asleep in the desk is good enough.

  “What the…” James whispers. There's a soft beeping as Dum-E does his best to explain the situation to James. Unfortunately most people don't speak robot so who knows if the message got through to his new roommate.

  “Gimme a second.” He whispers to Dum-E. There's an odd rustling before the sound of soft footsteps padding towards him. A warm hand reaches out and rests against Tony's shoulder. If he was anymore awake he would flinch away but in his state it's a pleasantly calming sensation. However, his hand doesn't stay long. The steady pressure of his hand is quickly replaced with the gentle warmth of a blanket wrapped around him. Soft material strokes his cheek ever so slightly as one of the corners of the blanket curves over his neck and stretches out towards his face.

  “You should've gone to bed.” James whispers amused. Normally Tony would assume the speaker was mocking him but the voice is so light and gentle it's impossible to think that. It oddly reminds him of Auntie Peggy, back before she stopped coming to visit. He has the same tender laughter.

  “Hey there. Are you Tony’s friend?” James whispers to Dum-E with a grin. Tony can feel Dum-E tug his trouser leg very gently at the mention of his name. It's followed by the sound of the paper ball dropping onto the floor once again. Even now he refuses to let go of the damn thing.

  “You want me to thrown the ball?” James asks as he picks up the balm from the floor. There's a soft rustle as he chucks the ball up in the air only to catch it once again. Dum-E buzzes happily, slightly louder then he probably should've.

  “Okay, I'll take that as a yes.” He mumbles to himself more than Dum-E. There's the distinct sound of the ball thudding lightly against the wooden flooring on the other side of the room shortly followed by an incredibly excited Dum-E. James chuckles at the sight while he waits for Dum-E to return with the ball in hand.

  “You’re amazing, aren't you.” James chuckles before reaching down to pick the ball up again.

  He's fallen asleep to many sounds throughout his life but he realises this is the most peaceful. The sound of Dum-E and James lulls him swiftly back to sleep and for the first time in a long time, he doesn't fight it.

  The next morning when he wakes up James is already up and moving. He must’ve slept for an incredibly long time because natural light is flooding the room from the window. The sudden bright light burns his eyes, forcing his to squint.

  “What time is it?” He grumbles, rubbing his sore eyes. Despite the soreness, he can't remember a time he felt better rested. A good night's sleep really does do a world of good, even if he is sleeping on his desk.

  “About half one.” James explains patiently from his bed, “You must’ve been pretty tired to sleep for over twelve hours.”

  “I suppose I was.” He mutters as he sits up. His back clicks uncomfortably and his neck is sore beyond reckoning but he actually feels good.

  Now he’s sat up, he can see James properly. Understandably already up and dressed for the day head. He looks incredibly awake and aware, considering how little sleep he must’ve gotten.

  Dum-E is still at his side, the little traitor. He's looking up as the ball in James hand, waiting for his chance to go catch it again. His heart swells at the sight of them getting along. At least now he won't have to hide him. That would've gotten pretty awkward if it had gone on any longer.

  “He’s really incredible. You built him?” He asks as he pets Dum-E softly.

  “Yeah. It was kind of an accident but he turned out pretty great.” Tony mutters, trying to suppress a grin. He has a reputation to uphold. Can't exactly have people thinking he's soft now can he.

  “It's incredible. You’re a real little genius aren't you.”

  “You know who I am?” He can't help but ask. Not everyone knows Tony and Howard - heck quite a few people don't since they're just a rich business owning family - but Tony can't help asking people whenever he meets them.

  “I know who you are.” James asks sounding utterly disinterested. People all react very differently when they realise who he is but this is a first. Seem to be a lot of firsts going around recently.

  “So then, Rhodey - ” Tony starts.

  “It's Rhodes.” Rhodey tries to interject but Tony blanks him out completely. If they're going to be roommates he's going to have to get used to it.

  “ _Rhodey_ , who are you?”

  “I'm no one special, just your average student.” He chuffs.

  “For some reason I doubt that.” Tony raises one eyebrow as he looks Rhodey up and down.

  “Well you’d be wrong.”

  “We’ll see about that.” He's never wrong.

  When lessons finally start, Tony actually finds himself looking forward to them. Before his lessons had just been a way to pass the seemingly endless reserves of time. Now they were actually going to be interesting. Challenging even. 

  When he gets in most of the seats in the lecture hall have already been taken up. Maybe he should’ve gotten in earlier to make sure he got a good seat...The only seat left is right in the last row next to a short brunette girl. Everyone is still chatting loudly so no one notices as he slips into the seat beside her, sunglasses still hiding his eyes. In all fairness, he’s still hung over from the previous night so he kind of has an excuse for wearing the sunglasses this time. His hood is pulled up to try and hide as much of his face as possible. If anyone thinks his get up is weird they thankfully don’t say anything.

  “You trying to run away from the police or something.” The girl next asks with a smirk. She’s not really looking at him, her pencil making small deft strokes on the pencil. Sketching.

  “What?” He asks. The ringing in his head is only getting louder but he refuses to admit that Rhodey was right in saying he shouldn’t have drunk so much last night.

  “You look like a hobo on the run.” She snorts, still focusing on her sketch.

  “You’re just a bucket of sunshine aren’t you.” He growls. He lays down on the table top, burying his face in his arms.

  “You’re one to talk.” She looks him over critically. Looking at her again, he realises she isn’t just short. She’s young. Fresh faced and ready to face the world compared to all the weary students around them.

  “What are you like twelve?” He snorts.

  “I’m fourteen - it’s not like you’re much older than me.” She grumbles and sets her pencil down on the desk.

  “Whatever. You’re still small.” If they stood up he thinks even he might be taller than her. Everyone had been sure to make sure he knew he was short for his whole life so seeing someone shorter than him who isn’t a literal child is refreshing.

  “You’re small.” She mutters still smirking.

  “Well I’m fairly sure I’m taller than you so I’m allowed to call you short.” He grumbles. There’s no way he wasn’t going to annoy her with this. Annoying people was his thing. One of the few things he could do better than anyone.

  “Mary Fitzpatrick.” She says, holding her hand out to Tony. He cautiously takes her hand, shaking it gently. He’s surprised to find her hands just a calloused as his own.

  “Tony.” He doesn’t even bother pretending to smile. Better she realises what a lost cause this is now. Maybe then she'll leave him alone.

  “Stark. I know.” She grins.

  “You’re a right little know it all you know."

  “You’re a dick you know.” He glares at her but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Peggy would love her fire.

  “Maybe I just don’t like being bugged by kids.” He sighs and tries to fall asleep on the desk again.

  “You’re younger than me.” His birthday isn’t until the end of the May so she would indeed be older than him.

  “What, you researched me?” He growls. Not at all creepy that she seems to know everything about him.

  “You don’t take much researching.” The sad truth of the matter.

  “Don’t I know it.” With all the newspaper articles printed about him it was getting hard to avoid knowing things about him. He’d been on more front pages than he wants to admit and mostly for less than acceptable activities.

  “See, hobo on the run.” She mutters, sliding her sketch across the table towards him. He finds himself looking back at his own face. He’s laying down with his head resting on his folded hands. Even through his sunglasses you can see his tired eyes. What few strands have escaped his hood stick out at odd angles like a weird fuzzy halo. Despite the obvious hoboness, he actually looks oddly peaceful. He knew he looked young but he looks so much younger in the sketch. More innocent.

  “You're weird.” He hums, unable to take his eyes off of the image.

  “I hear that a lot.” But there’s a huge grin on her face. Charcoal is smudged along her left cheek highlighting her vibrant green eyes. A fire burns inside her but there’s nothing but kindness in her eyes. Naive in a way Tony only wishes he could be.

  “I bet.”

  It's pretty clear she isn’t going to be going away for a while.

  Sure enough, she sticks to him like gum on the bottom of his shoe. Somehow she is in every lecture, saving a seat for him. No matter how hard he tries to shake her off she finds her way back. There are a couple of times he manages to avoid her in lectures but it is oddly lonely without her around. Despite himself he finds himself going back to her the next lecture. Of course he’d never admit it to her or Rhodey. There was no way he’d ever hear the end of the teasing.

  At first it is only lectures and lab work but soon she is sat next to him every lunch, sandwiching him between her and Rhodey. With them on either side of him he begin to find the days of forgetting to eat a meal behind him. Every time he tries to avoid meal times by locking himself in his room to finish a project he's quickly being dragged out by Rhodey or being assaulted with flying fruit by Mary.

  The three of them sit out on the green during their lunch breaks to get away from the crowds. Neither of them ever question why Tony doesn’t like sitting in the middle of the busy canteen and instead silently join him on the grass. They're even there when the autumn dies away into winter. When it is dark and cold outside.

  Rhodey silently reads with Tony’s head in his lap while Mary gets out her sketchbook and charcoal. As usual, a few people send them odd looks but they're too peaceful and tired to feel awkward about it. Sometimes he catches her looking over at him as she sketches. Analysing every last angle of him to get the drawing just right.

  “Stay still.” She mutters as she reaches over and pulls off his sunglasses. He waits for the usual anxiety that follows the removal of his sunglasses in a public place but it never comes. Somehow he still feels oddly calm.

  “You look better without them you know. They cover your eyes too much.” She mutters as she continues her sketch.

  “Why do you wear them anyway?” Rhodey probes cautiously. It was a conversation they’d all avoided for weeks. Honestly he was surprised he’d been able to avoid it for this long.

  “Sometimes you don’t want people looking at your eyes.” He’s not exactly lying. If eyes are the window to the soul, his glasses are his souls armour.

  “You shouldn’t hide - it doesn’t suit you. You should be strutting.” Mary hums. Her hand carefully glides across the paper, taking in every detail of Tony’s eyes.

  “I should be strutting, huh?” He chuckles.

  “You seem the type.” Mary states. Even Rhodey chuckles at that, his laughter rattling through Tony’s head.

  He looks down at the glasses discarded on the floor. She's right and he’d never noticed. He’d been hiding for years. He loves his mother but she’d been wrong before. She’d told him not too fly too high so he’d built himself iron wings. She told him to don his glass armour but he would make it iron. Until then, the glasses would stay locked in his room. He didn’t need to keep hiding. At least not with Rhodey and Mary at his side.

  Soon she’s converted Dum-E onto her side as well. Turns out the little guy is a complete traitor. First Rhodey and now Mary - it's almost as if he actually wants Tony to hang out with real humans. He has no idea where Mary’s actual room is but she clearly doesn’t spend much time there anymore. Instead she hangs around their room, watching Tony work from his bed. You can normally find her hanging upside down off of his bed. Her hair splays out on the bedroom floor as she reads upside down.

  “Why do I always end up being the babysitter?” Rhodey sighs, Dum-E at his heels. He's still sat at his own desk but the chair has been carefully angled to face Tony’s desk.

  Tony sits at his own desk, a pair of plastic goggles covering his eyes. Mary leans over his shoulder, a pair of half broken goggles that don’t quite fit protecting her eyes too. Stickers cover the arms marking them as hers. Of course he tried to buy her a new pair but she refused adamantly.

  Her hair is tied up to keep it out of her face using an old elastic band but a few strands hang freely, framing her face. Her chin rests awkwardly on his shoulder, the rest of her body perched on his bed as usual.

  “Because you love us too much to let us burn down the room.” Tony grins at the older boy. One time he had left them unsupervised while they tinkered and now there was a dark sooty stain on the ceiling above Tony’s bed. Ever since then, Rhodey had made sure to always be present and forced them to wear goggles.

  “Do it!” She hisses enthusiastically in his ear. Sometimes she forgets how loud she can be. For someone so small, she has a scarily powerful voice. Other times he’s sure she knows exactly what she’s doing.

  “Here goes nothing.” Tony sighs before reaching over and pressing the on button. Luckily there’s no sparks or instant fires which is a good sign. In fact, for the first few seconds nothing happens at all. They all hold their breath, watching the little hunk of metal expectantly.  Suddenly the arm begins twitching as the new addition to the family wakes up.

  “Hello.” Tony pokes the little bot gently with the end of his pencil. He whirls his one arm around to try and grab the pencil but fails miserably. He manages to grab it in his little claw but instantly drops it again.

  “Awww, he’s such a cutie.” She coos, reaching over to pat the new robot. He’s bigger than Dum-E and actually built to help out in the lab. Hopefully with some assistance in the lab their projects will go a little faster.

  “He’s a butterfingers.” Tony sighs. He tries to pick up the pencil once again but he continues unceremoniously dropping it onto the desk, probably shattering the lead inside.

  “We’re not calling him Butterfingers.” She says sternly. She’d been incredibly disappointed when she found out Tony had named his first AI Dum-E and had been trying to rename him ever since. Unfortunately she’d been unsuccessful, Dum-E had grown incredibly attached to his name. Since this new bot was their joint brainchild she’d been adamant that she got a say in the name. So far they’d been drawing blanks. Neither of them could agree on a name.

  “What’s your suggestion then?” He sighs.

  “We should give him a proper name, like Peter.” She hums.

  “Peter? He’s a robot not a child.” Mary gasps overly dramatically. Ignoring Tony’s protests she jumps forward and covers the spot where the bots ears should be.

  “Don’t listen to him. You’ll always be our child.” She cradles him protectively, going all mama bear. Somehow she manages to pull off the mama bear attitude better than even Rhodey. Something he hadn't thought was possible.

  “He’s called Butterfingers, aren’t you.” He says, patting Butterfingers on the head. Butterfinger chirps at the name - accepting it as his own.

  “Tony!” She seethes, slapping his arm, “How dare you name our child without my consent! I’m naming the next one Peter whether you like it or not.” She crosses her arms and scowls.

  “You got a new brother Dum-E.” Rhodey says with a grin. Dum-E whirrs happily, dashing over to the desk. Tony carefully reaches over and picks up Butterfingers, setting him down on the ground next to Dum-E.

  True to his namesake, Butterfingers is a nightmare in the labs. No matter how many times he drops the lab equipment and shatter glasses neither of them have the heart to ban him from the labs. It’s clear he’s trying his hardest but his motor connection is very obviously off. Although they could probably fix that, Mary is adamant that Tony isn’t allowed to fix the code.

  “He’s perfect the way he is. It wouldn’t be fixing him because it wouldn’t be him anymore.” She declares one evening from his bed.

  Both of them are fully dressed on his bed on top of the covers. They’re both small enough to fit comfortably onto the bed together, as long as they don’t mind being pressed incredibly close together. A lot of people might think it’s weird but they’re used to it. For a while they’d tried having Tony and Rhodey share a bed when she stayed over but they’d quickly come to the realisation that the bed wasn’t quite big enough. The only set up that really worked was having Tony and Mary share. The benefits of being tiny.

  “Suck up. You’re trying to become his favourite aren’t you.” She’d been annoyed when she realised that Dum-E had chosen Rhodey as his favourite and had set about trying to win Butterfingers over.

  “Course I am. I put a lot of work into the little guy, it’s about time I got some recognition for all my hard work.” She grumbles and twists to face Tony.

  “I put a lot of work into him too, why can’t I be his favourite?” He’d put a lot of late nights and secret lab trips into making him. Sure Mary had spent a lot of time bent over the blueprints with him and by his side guiding him as he worked on actually building him but it was Tony who’d poured his blood sweat and tears into him. Quite literally. Turns out lab tools can be damn sharp.

  “Because you called him Butterfingers.” She says bitterly. Even now, she still won’t let that go. He is beginning to doubt she ever will. Damn the girl knew how to hold a grudge. Even better than Tony apparently.

  They lie in silence, listening to the sounds of Rhodey sleeping in the bed next to them. He can tell she isn’t trying to sleep, her breaths too irregular and quiet as she shifts against him.

  “What are you thinking?” He asks as quietly as possible. Breaking the quiet feels wrong but her indecisiveness is more annoying.

  “What are you going to do with them when you go home?” She asks, looking up at him. Before when it was just Dum-E he was able to stow him away in his bag to take home but now there is Butterfingers to think about too. Butterfingers is too big to hide away in his bag, even if he didn’t have Dum-E to deal with as well.

  “I haven’t thought about that yet.” He bites the inside of his cheek. He might have to leave them both here over the holiday. At least they won’t be alone since they have each other now. Besides, it’s not like he spends that long away during the holidays, he can just cut the holiday extra short and come back here.

  “What if they come home with me? My adoptive family won't care. So long as I'm out of their way they're fine.” She pushes up off the bed slightly so she’s half sitting up and able to look at Tony better.

  “That could work. I don’t know how they’d do without me around but they should be fine. They’re likely to make a bit of a mess of your house though…I doubt your family would be fine with them.” He mutters. Part of him is sad at the thought of the bots going away without him but it was for the best. As much as he loves and trusts Mary, he can’t imagine them going off with someone else. Even for just a few weeks.

  “I’m not going to take them away from you Tony. You would be coming too.” She whispers softly. Spending the holiday with a friend was a foreign concept. Heck, before MIT he’d never had a proper friend. Even after months of their friendship it still felt strange to have people to rely on. It hasn’t quite sunk in.

  “I don’t know…” He mutters. How were you supposed to act with your friends family? What was the protocol? What happens if they didn’t like him? What would his family say?

  “Come on, it’ll be fun. I can introduce you to my other friends! You’d love Richard.” She says with a smile. He notices the slight blush that creeps up her face at the mention of Richard.

  “Richard huh? He your boyfriend?” Tony smirks as Mary flushes bright red.

  “It’s not like that! He’s just a friend.” She stammers furiously.

  “Sure.” He drawls. This is exactly the kind of ammunition he’d been waiting for for months. While his life was an open book of newspaper clippings, she kept her life tightly closed and close to her chest. He knew more about Rhodey’s mom than Mary. All he really knew was that she was an orphan who had been passed around from family to family for as long as she could remember. Never staying still for too long. She had finally been adopted a year and a half ago but it wasn't a family, not really.

  “If you’re going to be like this the whole time I’ll retract my invitation.” She scowls, slapping his shoulder.

  Despite her threat she doesn’t retract her offer. He’s not sure whether to be surprised or not when his parents let him go. It’s not like they spent a lot of time together at Christmas but actually letting him go to someone else house could be a liability. Nonetheless he ended up waiting outside the dorms with Mary after Rhodey had left. Dum-E and Butterfingers stand happily at their heels, excited to be going to a new place.

  “Stop being nervous. You’ll be fine.” She mutters when she notices his hand drifting towards the sunglasses in his pockets. As much as he liked Mary, that didn’t mean her adoptive parents would be the same. In fact he's fairly sure exactly the opposite is going to be true. They don't seem the type to actually care. He's surprised they're even allowing Tony and the bots around.

  Before he has a chance to respond a car pulls up in front of them. A short blonde woman steps out of the car, eyeing up Tony and Mary carefully. She waits until the black haired man steps out of the car to begin approaching them.

  “Sweetheart we missed you so much.” The woman sings overdramatically as she gets close. Tony shifts from foot to foot. How are you supposed to respond in this kind of situation?

  "I bet." Mary grumbles as she starts dragging her bag towards the car.

  “You must be Tony then.” The man turns to Tony and smiles politely.

  “That’s right.” Tony holds his head high. _It’s just Mary’s parents_. They aren’t here to hurt him in any way.

  “I've read a lot about you” He wonders what exactly they've read. Did they read up on him specifically because they knew he was coming to theirs?

  “I can’t say I’ve heard a lot about you.” He says on reflex. He mentally punches himself afterwards. He’s meant to be making a good impression. This really isn’t the best way to be going about it.

  “Of course she hasn't.” The woman rolls her eyes with a sigh, “My names Ruth and my husband is Charles.” She throws one arm around her husband. Drawing him close.

  “Tony.” He says with a smile. He makes sure to keep them at an arm's length.

  “And this is Dum-E and Butterfingers.” Mary says proudly. She steps out of the way so that they can see the bots easier, “Tony made Dum-E last year but I helped out with making Butterfingers.”

  “They look amazing sweetheart. I’m glad you’ve made some good friends.” Charles says softly but it sounds incredibly forced. At least he seems to be making an effort though. More than the woman at least. Mary leans over and loops her arm through Tony’s, forcing him closer to her.

  “They’re alright.” She teases.

  It turns out they they live in Queens so the drive only takes a couple of hours. Unlike all the long drives he’d had growing up, the car never seemed to be quiet. Both the man and woman are attempting to make pointless small talk for the majority of the ride. Even when they run out of things to talk about (which hardly happened at all) there is the radio blaring to fill in the empty space. It's like the opposite of his own family. Instead of silence awkwardly separating them, empty words are making up the barrier.

  Dum-E and Butterfingers have been carefully strapped into the seat between him and Mary. For the first time they’re actually very well behaved. Neither of them make a sound through the whole trip although there are a few close calls.

  They try to include him in the conversations a bit but quickly move the conversation back onto their daughter much to Tony’s relief. He’s perfectly happy looking out of the car window at the world whizzing by. It’s strange being in a car that doesn’t have tinted windows for a change. Everything looks so much clearer without the darkened glass.

  When they finally arrive in Queens they pull up in front of a neatly kept block of flats. It’s not much but it looks like a home. Tony picks up Butterfingers while Mary picks up Dum-E to carry them upstairs to the flat. Charles offers to help but him and Mary are easily strong enough to carry the two bots.

  Ruth goes ahead of them all and unlocks the door for them. It’s not a particularly large flat but it’s a comfortable size for the family of three. Photos of the couple together line the walls but there's not a single photo of Mary anywhere to be seen. It's as if she's never been here before.

  “It’s not much but it's home.” Ruth says, setting Mary’s bag down on the kitchen table, “We’ve only got two rooms so I’m afraid you’ll have to share with Mary. She said you’d be fine with that.”

  “Yeah that’s fine.” He can’t count how many night she’d bunked over in his bed now. Sleeping together is nothing new.

  “Mary?” A new voice asks from the doorway. Him and Mary both whip around to inspect the new comer. There's a brown haired boy stood in the doorway - a huge smile painted across his face.

  Without a moment's hesitation she runs over to him and throws her arms around him. He stumbles backwards as he tries to regain his balance and his hands move to wrap around her waist. Tony smiles to himself, he’d been wondering whether she’d ever actually make a move. She certainly seemed like the type to suppress her feelings.

  Butterfingers senses the excitement and begins chirping loudly making Mary laugh. He wheels over to his mother and begins circling around her feet. Such an attention seeker. When Dum-E realises what his brother is doing he quickly races over to join him only creating more chaos.

  “What the…” Richard peers over Mary’s shoulder, trying to get a better look at Butterfingers.

  “Richard, meet Dum-E and Butterfingers. They’re AI robots.” She pats Butterfingers on the head proudly.

  “Kind of. They’re more like puppies than anything else.” Tony says. One day he’d make a proper AI but for now the bots were perfect.

  “Dum-E loves playing fetch. Butterfingers tries to join in but he always ends up dropping the ball so it’s always a very short game.” Both of the bots keep spinning around her becoming a serious tripping hazard. Someday they’re going to cause some serious damage because of this behaviour.

  “You sound like you’ve been busy at MIT then.” He laughs quietly. He keeps some distance between the bots and himself as if they were going to blow up at any second.

  “I helped out with Butterfingers but Dum-E was all Tony’s doing.” Mary gestures to Tony who’s been keeping his distance.

  “Tony Stark.” He steps forward and holds his hand out towards the other boy. Richard quickly takes his hand and shakes it firmly.

  “Richard Parker.” He smiles.

  It turns out spending christmas with Mary's family actually meant spending Christmas with the Parkers. Almost the entire holiday is spent round their house - a trend that seems to have been quite common since Mary moved into this new home.

  They're a surprisingly nice family with two sons: Richard and Ben. Both boys are incredibly sweet compared to all the kids Tony met growing up. Bright eyed and as amazed by Dum-E and Butterfingers as Mary. Ben has somehow become both of their favourites. Somehow he has an endless supply of patience. He'll just sit on the living room floor for hours throwing a ball.

  They also seem to have an endless list of activities for the four of them to do. Their parents let them wander the city on their own for almost the entire day, even Ben who's only nine. Although they normally end up going to the zoo or the park, it never manages to get dull. They even manage to convince Tony to bring Dum-E and Butterfingers to the park a couple of times - until Dum-E begins stealing the other dogs balls at least.

  Christmas with the Parker's is nothing like it was at home. At 6am on the dot he is woken up by Mary. Apparently 6 in the morning is now a reasonable time to be up on christmas day which is certainly news to Tony. It apparently doesn’t matter that they’d both been up until the middle of the night talking the previous night.

  “Come on, we’ve got presents waiting.” She hisses in his ear.

  “And they can’t wait until a more reasonable time?” He growls. Try as he might, Mary refuses to let him bury his face back in the pillow and go back to sleep. She practically shoves him out of the bed before throwing clothes at him.

  “You gotta get dressed.” She shouts as she starts dressing herself up, not caring in the slightest that Tony is in the room with her.

  “Can’t we open presents in our pyjamas?” He rubs his eyes and sits up from his uncomfortable spot on the floor.

  “We’re getting into clothes and there’s nothing you can say to change that. We're going down to the Parkers flat and you're not going down past all those houses dressed like that.” She pulls on a loose t-shirt and pair of leggings which is hardly any different to what she’d been wearing before. It all seems pointless to be honest but it’s clear he isn’t getting a choice.

  “Fine fine.” He hisses. She’s thrown him his AC/DC t-shirt and a pair of joggers. There’s also an itchy christmas reindeer jumper with light up antlers on the pile but there’s no way he’s sinking that low. Once he’s dressed he ties the jumper around his waist but that’s as good as it’s going to get.

  “You’re no fun you know.” She sighs as she puts on her own ridiculous jumper. Her’s matches his own but the colours of the actual jumper are less bright and the antlers don’t have ridiculous flashy lights all over them.

  “Boohoo.” He grumbles. His eyes are still half closed and if he went back to bed now he would be out instantly. The only thing keeping him awake is Mary’s stubbornness.

  Eventually she drags him out of her room and into the living room. They have to creep as quietly as possible past her parents bedroom to get to the front door. Even Butterfingers and Dum-E seem to realise they need to be quiet and not wake them. Apparently they were going to be going to their parents for christmas. He's not surprised that Mary and Tony aren't included in that.

  When they finally get down to the Parker's flat Richard and his parents and brother Ben are also sat on the living room floor chatting. Somehow none of them even look that tired - maybe they hadn’t decided to go to bed really late like him and Mary.

  “You finally awake then.” Ruth smiles. As they approach she shifts over to allow for space for them both next to Richard. Mary sits first and drags him down with her so she’d between him and Richard. Dum-E and Butterfingers follow behind and dash over to Ben happily.

  Everyone else seems to be busying themselves as they organise the presents leaving the three teens to their own devices. Mary hums quietly, buzzing off of coffee or something of a similar calibre.

  “They get pretty excitable at Christmas - they can’t even wait a couple more hours.” Richard leans over and sighs.

  “I can see.” It looks like complete and utter chaos. The sort of chaos you’d never get back at the mansion. It’s not in any way lonely though.

  “What do your family normally do for christmas?” He inquires curiously.

  “We don’t really do anything. Christmas is normally quite a busy time for my family. Even if we’re not busy at parties or charity events then my parents tend to go abroad. Normally I just stay in my lab or stay with the butlers family over christmas.” Christmases with Jarvis had been a highlight growing up. They didn’t do presents or any of this stuff but they’d always cook up a warm homemade meal for the three of them to eat in front of the christmas tree. It wasn’t anything special but it was something.

  “That’s so sad.” Ben pipes up. He's already gotten stuck throwing wrapping paper balls for them. There are a few close calls when they almost knock into presents but luckily it seems to be going well so far. As well as it can anyway.

  “It’s alright. I’m used to it. Christmas has just never been anything special.” He sighs. There’d never been much of a point to the holiday anyway. For his family it would’ve just meant spending time with people you don’t really know and swapping completely pointless gifts. What do you buy for someone who is a literal millionaire?

  “We’ll be able to give you your first christmas then.” Mary says happily, “That reminds me.” She quickly jumps up and runs into her room. When she comes back there’s a small neatly wrapped present in her hands. As soon as she sits back down she thrusts it into his hands so he can’t refuse it.

  “Open it.” He opens his mouth to refuse but she cuts him off, “You’re not saying no Tony! I want you to have it.” She glares at him until he relents. Carefully he unwraps the small bundle, making sure not to damage the paper. Inside is a small red and gold locket on a golden chain. His colours. When he pops open the lid there’s a small picture of him, Mary, Rhodey and the bots on the dorm room floor eating popcorn.

  “You better wear this everyday.” She picks the necklace up from the box and reaches over to clip it around his neck. He stays as still as possible while she clips it on. Once it’s fastened around his neck she tucks it under his shirt so it’s hidden from sight, “Now you’ll never be able to forget about us.” She grins.

  “I didn’t get you anything.” He mutters quietly.

  “I know. You’ll just have to get me two presents next year.” She smirks, patting the spot where his locket is hidden.

  “Ulterior motives.” He rolls his eyes making her laugh loudly.

  “You bet.” She smirks, “You’ve got a lot to live up to next year.”    

  Rhodey is undoubtedly annoyed he'd been left out of their little winter break. Even more so when he realised he lived only a couple of blocks away from Mary's. Eventually they came to the agreement that next holiday they would all stick together.

  Of course, Tony has absolutely no say in the matter but found himself piled into the car with Rhodey nonetheless when Easter rolls around. Once again he spends the whole holiday being dragged around on various day trips with either the Parkers or the Rhodes. The busy schedule is hard to get used to. To wake up everyday with a concrete plan was completely different to the life he had back home. 

  Between Mary and Rhodey - and all the people they surround themselves with - Tony hardly manages a second of alone time. Once again he bunks with Mary since Rhodey's house is already completely full with the addition of his sister around the house.

  For the most part he doesn't mind the busyness and company but god does his miss his lab. If his lab was the sacrifice he had to make to stay away from home though, he'd willingly make it. 

  In fact he's almost sad when summer rolls around and he finally has to go back home. It doesn't feel like just a year has passed since he left. After all the time he's spent at boarding schools he'd gotten used to being away from home for long periods at a time but it's never felt as long as this year.

  When Jarvis finally pulls up in front of the college Tony is surprised to see how much the man has changed. Although he was already grey when Tony left he somehow looks ten times greyer. Even his smile feels forced and polite. As they drive back to the mansion he begins to wonder which one of them has really changed. 

  No one, not even Howard says anything as Tony leads his little bots into the mansion through the front door. Let Howard say what he wants. Aside from Jarvis' proud smile, they all ignore the bots completely. They hardly ever leave the lab anyway since they'd be a threat to almost every expensive delicate thing in Maria's collection upstairs.

  Once again Peggy doesn't make an appearance. The summer days she used to spend with them at the mansion are hardly even memories anymore. He can't remember what actually happened and what he's made up in his head.

  In her stead Maria tries to make more of an effort with little success. That might be more Tony's fault than her's but things just aren't the same as when he was little listening to her singing at the piano. Now he can see the dark bags under her eyes and the way her hands shake ever so slightly on the bad days. He almost wonders how he didn't see it all before. She smiles softly with her wide glassy eyes as she stands in front of the bathroom mirror, her bottle of pills in hand. He knows she can see him looking at her in the mirror but neither of them say anything about it. It's just the way things are. He doesn't know anything different. Nor does she.

  Maria is the only one standing by the front door of the mansion when he gets back in the car to go to college again. She waves slightly as the car drives away. Her eyes follow them right up until the moment the forest swallows the car. She's there the next year too. And the year after that. All alone out on the drive. Just watching. It almost keeps him from spending the other holidays with Rhodey and Mary. Almost. But then Howard comes to mind and he jumps straight back in the car.

  He never says anything to the others. Not about Maria's sad eyes. Not about Howards obsession with Captain America. Not even when Jarvis' wife passes away. Why would he? How can he? He wouldn't know what to say. Sometimes he thinks they know but neither of them ever ask. It's not like they ever say anything either. It's a mutual understanding. He'd rather just keep on lying on the floor eating ice cream while watching the little mermaid.

  As time goes by they get closer and closer to graduation day. Three years feels more like three weeks as the days quickly drift away. He’d been dumb enough to get attached. He’d done the one thing he’d learnt not to do and started to rely on them.

  “We’re not going anywhere you know.” She whispers with her head on his shoulder. She looks up at him with her bright eyes. Promising him. Sometimes he does wonder whether she can read his mind. He wouldn’t be surprised - it’s Mary after all. If anyone could it would be her.

  “I promise." She adds thoughtfully. Her pinky finger is held out towards his, waiting patiently under the moonlight. Cautiously he links his pinky finger with hers and smiles up at her.

  _Promises._

  At this point he has learnt that they're never to be kept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a soft spot for Tony's bots, I don't know if you could tell. They're so precious and adorable and I love what little we do see of them and Tony's relationship in the films. 
> 
> It'll be a one or two more chapters until Peter actually comes into the story, I know it's taking a while but I really wanted to properly flesh out Mary and Tony before actually adding Peter in.


	2. Reaper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony goes back home to the stark mansion

_**I listened, motionless and still;**_

_**And, as I mounted up the hill,**_

_**The music in my heart I bore,** _

_**Long after it was heard no more.** _

  ** _\- William Wordsworth_**

 

~~~

 

  Going back home is just as hard as he was expecting it to be. It has been a whole year since he's been back and he's grown used to being surrounded by people. Going back to the emptiness of the mansion isn't something he is particularly looking forward to. As much as he misses Jarvis he'd rather go back to the Rhodes house or even Mary's and never come back. 

  Mary and Rhodey had been picked up before him, leaving him alone with Dum-E and Butterfingers. He sits on the curb with his bag at his side - waiting for the car to pull up in front of him. Jarvis was supposed to be here an hour ago but he's still not here. It's a really good thing the weather is nice today otherwise there's no way he'd be waiting like this.

  Biting his lip, he pulls out his phone and scans through his messages. There's a few from Rhodey as he tries to check up on Tony but nothing else. Nothing at all from Jarvis or either of his parents. It's as if they've all simply vanished. What on earth could Jarvis be doing to make him so late?

  Tony's about to go back inside the building when the sleek black car pulls up. Sighing, Tony crosses his arms and taps his foot impatiently.

  “Master Stark.” Jarvis greets him happily through the unwound drivers window.

  “Hey J.” Tony says. As hard as he tries to stay angry at the man, he can't hold back the grin that comes to the surface. Despite the circumstances he really is glad to see Jarvis. The one thing he'd missed about his home. His constant.

  “My apologies for being so late, I was held up picking up some things along the route. We're running late so you best be getting in the car - we have quite the drive ahead of us.” Jarvis attempts to stay cool and distant but he can't help the excitement creeping into his voice. It was rare to see the man so visibly excited so Tony's interest is immediately peaked. He almost forgets how ridiculously late he is.

  “What's happening…?” Tony mutters suspiciously.

  “Nothing sir. Just my everyday duties.” Jarvis clears his throat and flushes slightly red around the collar. He contemplates pushing further but decides against it. _Let the man have his fun._

  Cautiously, he reaches forward and grabs a hold of the door handle. When he opens the door he expects to find the usual empty backseat but for the first time there's actually someone waiting for him. For a second he even let's himself think it might be Maria come to collect him from college like a normal mother but even he knows that's too much to hope for. Although they're trying to get closer she's still far too busy to waste a whole day for Tony. That's just the way things are.

  Instead he finds himself face to face with none other than Peggy Carter. It has been years since he last saw her but she hardly looks any different. Her clothes are still as pristine as ever. Her hair is exactly as he remembers it - curled to perfection. As usual her lips are adorned with her signature bright red lipstick.

_Picking up some things, huh..._

  “Aunt Peggy?” Tony mutters. He hasn't even made it into the car yet, standing outside gaping like an idiot.

  Ten years.

  It's been ten whole years now.

  They’d exchanged emails and letters through those years but not once had she ever come to visit. Her fight with Howard must’ve been serious if it kept her away for that long. He can't help but wonder why she's suddenly made a reappearance in his life. Why now of all times? 

  “Haven't heard that in a while.” She says with a sad smile, “You got big.”

  “That tends to happen in ten years…” Tony snaps as he clambers into the car. He probably shouldn't take his anger out on her but she abandoned him. For ten years. Whatever the reason, she shouldn't have just walked out on him like that. Left him with Howard.

  He quickly grabs ahold of Butterfingers and DUM-E, lifting them up into the car alongside him. They stay quiet as he sits them down on the middle seat next to Peggy. There's enough space on the floor of the car for both of them to fit comfortably but he keeps them on the seat anyway. Peggy watches the two little bots beside her curiously but doesn't ask about them.

  Now he's closer to her he can see the imprint of the years clearly across her face. Wrinkles are sprinkled around her face, lining her cheeks elegantly. Her hair has dulled slightly as more grey hairs infiltrate her usually immaculate locks. Thankfully the years have been kind. Somehow she even manages to pull off wrinkles. God bless that woman.

  Slowly the car begins to get moving. Thankfully Jarvis has closed the little window that connects the driver to the passengers. Even after Howard and Peggy's fight Jarvis had stayed close to Tony's godmother. They'd always had a bond Tony could never quite understand. If nothing else, these last three years had really given him an insight into their relationship. Their friendship. Camaraderie.

  “I do apologise for that Tony. It's been hard with Howard.” She sighs.

  “Isn't it always hard with Howard?” Tony scoffs. It was common knowledge that Howard was an arsehole. Once upon a time he'd actually been a fun arsehole - now he’s just old and bitter. The worst combination.

  “Yes, I suppose that's true. He's not the easiest man to get along with. Never has been I suppose but he's certainly gotten worse in recent years... I can't imagine how it is living with him.” She sighs wistfully. Sometimes it's easy to forget they were actually friends once. They must’ve been close too since he made her Tony's Godmother. Was she thinking back to those days? Back to a time when things were easier between them.

  “I haven't lived with him for years now. Boarding school tends to do that.” Last time he'd seen her she’d been waving him off to his first boarding school. Poetic that she should be here now. _Poetic or well planned_ …? Knowing Peggy they're both as likely as each other.

  “You've done incredibly well for yourself. You should be proud.” She gives him a heartfelt smile. Her gaze is fixed directly on DUM-E and Butterfingers who have finally stopped buzzing to one another, “I know Howard is very proud of you.” She adds after contemplating quietly for a minute.

  “That sounds likely.” At this point he's given up caring about Howard. No matter what he did his father would never be proud. Both him and his father had given up on that years ago. So long as there was space between them they were both happy. It's easier to pretend they can stand one another when they're not forced to actually interact with one another.

  “You'd be surprised.” She says softly. Tony considers arguing back with her but what would be the point? He never could argue with Aunt Peggy. Despite Tony's sharp tongue, he never could match Peggy. Not in a physical or a verbal fight.

  She ends up staying in the mansion for a couple of days. Throughout the whole time, he doesn't see Howard and Peggy interact even once. Actually, he doesn't see Howard full stop. Probably away on a business trip or locking himself away in his office to drink away his sorrows. The usual.

  Peggy spends more time than normal hanging out with Tony. Making up for ten years of lost time. They start up their old sparring lessons that they used to do when he was little. It turns out those kinds of things are at least partially muscle memory because he starts picking up the moves incredibly quickly - even for himself. He's still nowhere near being able to take down Peggy but he's improving.

  “You should get Jarvis to spar with you.” Aunt Peggy says as they take a water break. While Tony is hot red and panting, Peggy has hardly even broken a sweat. Now he's even more jealous of her than he usually is.

  “Jarvis?” The idea is preposterous. _Jarvis? Sparring?_ That _would_ be a sight to see.

  “Yes! He used to be quite good actually.” Peggy isn't lying, he can tell, but he still can't imagine it. The man has never let on that he's anything more than an overly formal and serious butler. Even he has his secrets. It certainly makes his friendship with Peggy more understandable.

  “He used to spar with me.” Peggy grins as she rolls her sleeves up once more. Somehow she's already ready for round two. Probably because she didn't get her arse handed to her last round.

  Surprisingly her words actually send a pang of hurt through him. As stupid as it sounds, he knows he could never have that with Jarvis. Although the man had effectively raised him, he would never allow himself to be anything more than a butler around Tony.

  The perfect image of professionalism.

  He could cut the crusts off of his sandwiches and drive him to and from school but he could never spar or play. Not really. Could never be the friend Tony really needed. He supposes that’s why he has Mary and Rhodey now. If he even sees them again.

  Come the end of the summer and the beginning of September, he still hasn't seen Rhodey or Mary. They both have their own lives now and, just as Tony predicted, they can't just hang out together.

  He doesn't mind. Not at all. He's completely fine with it all. Completely.

  While he hasn’t seen his friends in months, Obadiah he sees everyday. It's like he's moved in. He sees the man more often than he sees his own parents. He’s more at home between the four walls than all the Starks combined. Even when Maria and Howard announce their travel plans for the Christmas holidays he chooses to stick around the mansion with Tony.

  “Your mother and I are heading to the Bahamas next week. We’ll be gone for two weeks.” Howard clears his throat.

  Tony had known the talk was coming from the minute Howard and Maria sat down at the dinner table that the conversation was coming. Although they all had mushroom risottos in front of them the only one eating was Obadiah.

  “What about me?” Tony rests one of his elbows on the table, using the arm to prop up his head. He's surprised Howard hasn't said anything about it yet.

  “You’ll be staying here with Obadiah while we’re gone.” Howard clears his throat and pushes his bowl of food away. He's staring at Tony sternly - the way he does when his mind is set on something.

  “I am seventeen now you know.” Tony rolls his eyes. Sometimes it feels like they think he's still a small child. That's what happens when you drink your way through your sons childhood. You lose track of how old they actually are.

  “Oh really? I never would’ve been able to tell with the way you act.”

  “You’re one to talk.” Tony grumbles and sets his knife and fork back down on the table. He’d always hated mushrooms, not that any of them cared to remember, “I’m going to head down to the lab.”

  “Tony.” Maria finally snaps out of her daze to grab onto his sleeve, “You’re not going to eat with us?” She whispers. As carefully as he can he pries her fingers off of him so the fall back down onto the table next to her untouched cutlery and cold food.

  “I’ve got more important things to do.” He pretends not to notice how her face falls as he walks away. Pretends not to know what she’s thinking.

  Even when he does get back down to the lab her eyes feel like they're still drilling a hole through him. Only Dum-E and Butterfingers presence distracts him from his own thoughts so he locks himself down in the lab with them. It’s not like he needs anything else from up in the mansion anyway. Years of locking himself down here have meant mostly self sustaining. Fully stocked with food, coffee and a couch to sleep on. The three things humans need to survive.

  It’s only when the food stock in the lab begins to run out a few days later that he finally ventures back out into the rest of the mansion. It’s probably the longest he’s ever gone in the lab without leaving before. A new record for him to beat. He hadn't been expecting to need to lock himself down there so he hadn't restocked the food. If he wants to keep hiding out down there then he'll need to fully stock the cupboards again.

  All sense of time has eluded him down there so he’s surprised to see the night sky outside the windows. A thick cloud sits across the sky, blocking out the starry sky. Snow drifts quietly in place of the silver shimmering stars that usually reside there.

  It must be the night before his parents leave for their holiday.

  What's even more surprising is that he isn't alone. An echo runs through the halls, calling out to him. Leading him. A piano lullaby drifting slowly through the empty nothingness. Just like when he was younger.

  Sure enough when he comes to a stop in the doorway of the great hall he finds Maria sat in front of the piano. She’s not singing, instead she's just letting her fingers carefully drift across keys. Although her eyes watch the snow spilling across the window, she’s smiling warmly.

  Fire crackles alongside the tune from the hearth. Joining in with the music but not overpowering it. A duet almost. Spark spit out of the flames only to slowly melt away in the warm air just like the snow outside the window.

  Orange lights from the flames wash over her and trickle through the strands of her hair. For the first time in as long as he can remember her hair is dripping freely over her shoulders and ever so slightly covering her eyes as she hums along with the tune. There’s a bright red santa hat on her head which is messing up her normally pristine hair ever so slightly. Reflections of the light sparkle in her deep eyes, contrasting the harsh white outside the window next to her.

  As quietly as he can he stops in the doorway and leans against the frame. He misses this tenderness. This warm quiet. So different to the echoes of Howard that usually resonate through the building.

  As he watches she slowly breaks into song. It starts off quiet and soft and slowly builds up as she gets into the song.

  “ _Try to remember the kind of September when life was slow and oh so mellow. Try to remember the kind of September when grass was green and grain so yellow. Try to remember the kind of September when you were a young and a callow fellow. Try to remember and if you remember, then follow--follow, oh-oh._ ” Although she’s singing in English rather than Italian it sounds just like he remembers. As tender, youthful and naive as ever. Peaceful.

  “ _Try to remember when life was so tender that no one wept except the willow. Try to remember when life was so tender that dreams were kept beside your pillow. Try to remember when life was so tender that love was an ember about to billow. Try to remember and if you remember, then follow--follow, oh-oh._ ” Her fingers stop playing leaving just the fire crackling on its own. Tony waits for a few more seconds, watching her cautiously. Waiting. Her unfinished melody hanging in the warm air. It’s not until the crackling of the fire has died away that she finally picks up the tune once again.

  “ _Deep in December it's nice to remember, although you know the snow will follow. Deep in December it's nice to remember without a hurt, the heart is hollow. Deep in December it's nice to remember the fire of September that made you mellow. Deep in December our hearts should remember and follow -_ ” All the happiness in the song has been leached away. Cold light from the window now shatters across her face, casting her into shadows. All optimism melted away.

  It’s not until he breathes in deeply that he realises he was holding his breath.

  “Tony?” Maria whispers from the piano.

  “I’ve never heard you play that before.” Tony clears his throat and tiptoes into the room. Of all the songs she’d sung none we’re like that.

  “I suppose you wouldn’t have.” She chuckles and closes the piano lid as quietly as possible. In one quick movement she takes off her hat and sets it down on the piano. Her hands come up to her face to quickly tie her hair back up in a neat bun. Out of her face once again.

  “Why are you awake?” He jumps up onto the piano so he can perch on the edge in front of her. She looks up at him softly, sparks glittering in her eyes once again.

  “Getting ready to leave. I was just going to come down to the lab to say goodbye.” She gets up off of the piano stool and moves to stand in front of him.

  “Leaving already? I thought that was tomorrow.” He frowns. He knew he had his days messed up but he didn’t think he was that off.

  “Howard wants to leave early. He has some stops to make before the airport.” One hand comes up to rest on his cheek lightly. Her finger brushes across his cheek so lightly it’s as if she wasn’t even touching him. Like a ghost.

  She steps back from him and grabs the santa hat which is next to him on the piano. She grins cheekily and sets it on his head at a slight angle. Their head sizes are so similar it fits Tony without a problem, settling perfectly on his dark brown hair.

  “Of course he does...is he really in any state to be driving?” Snow is building up outside the window. Crescendoing.

  Every night for Howard ends at the bottom of a bottle. Not something that pairs well with driving and bad weather.

  “Not particularly. Jarvis has offered to drive us both so we can get to the pentagon in time for Howard's business.” Jarvis will be gone too then. It really will just be him and Obie this time. Oh joy.

  “Maria? What are you doing? We’re supposed to be getting going now.” Howard storms through the doorway. He’s completely fixated on his watch with his other hand gripping onto a large black briefcase. As soon as he spots Tony on the piano he stops in his tracks, “Well well well, look who decided to finally make an appearance.”

  “Seeing you is always such a joy.” Tony jumps down off of the piano and circles around Howard to get back to the doorway behind Howard. When Tony slows down in front of Howard he reaches forward and pulls the hat off of Tony’s head. His hand falls back down to his side with the hat still in hand.

  “He was just wishing us goodbye - we’ll be gone for weeks Howard.” She chides Howard as she pats his shoulder gently and lovingly. One of her hands reaches down to carefully pry the hat from Howard's hand.

  “I bet he was.” Howard sighs and rolls his eyes, “Just try not to burn the house down.” Without any further words Howard leaves the room. His footsteps echo behind him, cutting through the frozen silence. Only when his footsteps have died away does Maria step forward and place the hat on his head again.

  “I’ll see you as soon as I get back.” She presses a kiss against his cheek, her warmth spreading across his icy skin.

 

  He never did see her again.

 

  The days between their deaths and the funeral are nothing but numb. Empty. An endless parade of people asking him questions. Demanding answers. Non stop. All day everyday.

  He’s lost everyone.

  Howard. Maria. Jarvis.

  In the end, he lets Obadiah take care of everything. He hasn’t left since the accident. Keeping Tony company through the process. Peggy came by for the first day but she has enough to deal with on her own. Work was keeping her on her toes and she seemed to have her own things to deal with in the wake of the deaths.

  “We’ve got to deal with the future of the company.” Obadiah sighs. You could be fooled into thinking he was as exhausted as Tony but Tony has known the man for a long time. He takes note of how the man’s eyes flicker up towards Tony expectantly. A glint in his eyes.

  “I don’t care.” He growls. There’s a bottle of whiskey in one hand, washing away all his concerns. Why should he care? Why? He's seventeen. Everyone is more than happy to remind him of that.

  “Well the company needs leadership. You’re still only seventeen - not even an adult…I know the will gave you the company - ” Obadiah probes. About as subtle as a hammer.

  “You do it.” Tony grumbles. He sets the bottle down on the desk with a heavy thud. If it’ll get him to leave him alone, he’ll say whatever. He just wants to be alone. Is that really too much to ask?

  “I’ll do my best.” Obadiah says with his usual shit eating grin.

  “You better. It’d be nice to still have a company to take over when I’m of age.” He sighs. Obadiah’s eyes darken slightly but he keeps his shit eating grin.

  “I’ll make sure to keep it ready for you.”

  Tony gets up from his seat and begins heading out of the room. He needs some air. As he passes Obadiah he clamps his hand on the man’s shoulder.

  “I’m going to the lab. You can deal with all the other people. Make sure everyone leaves me alone for the foreseeable future.”

  “What about the funeral tomorrow?” Obadiah twists around to examine Tony.

  “I’ll be there.” If he could avoid going he would. If it was up to him he’d be at Jarvis' funeral but that isn’t how things panned out. Instead he’d be standing around his arsehole of a fathers grave - ignoring the one person who made his life here more bearable. At least at Jarvis’ funeral there wouldn’t be a million camera’s taking pictures for the front page. He could have some privacy and peace.

  When he gets into his room he grabs another glass of whiskey, downing it in one. A pleasant buzz surrounds him as he sinks deeper into the numbness. One day he’ll have to come out of the pit he's dug for himself but today is not that day. For now he's content to wallow down here.

  He flops down onto his bed as his eyes roam the ceiling above him. Instinctively his eyes search for the black sooty stain from when him and Mary set fire to their project but there's nothing. Just white blankness as far as the eye can see. He's not home anymore.

  He finds himself gripping his phone. His finger hovering over Rhodey's name. Just one press of a button and him and Mary would come straight over. They wouldn't waste a second when they found out what happened. Just one press of a button and he wouldn't have to be alone.

  The framed photo of the three of them stares at him from across the room. Phone still in hand, he creeps over to the photo, picking it up in a shaky hand. His own reflection stares back at him from the glass, overlaying the smiling faces below. Dark bags are underlining his blood shot eyes once more. The boy in the photo is gone.

 He sets the phone down on the on the desk gently. Rhodey's contact still waits patiently, the button unpressed. Even looking at Rhodey's face is too much so he switches off the phone, drowning the room in darkness once more.

  His eyes pick out one of the desk draws which isn't quite pushed in fully. He moves as if he's going to close it but catches himself before he does. Cautiously, he pulls open the draw and stares down at the collection of sunglasses carefully placed in the draw. A thin layer of dust coats them - untouched for 3 years. His hand shakes as he carefully picks them up. The boy in the photo seems to stare at him as he does so. He'd gotten past this.

   _I'm not the same boy._

  Without wasting another second he slips them on. They seem darker than he remembers. Blocking out even more of the light than they used to. Even with them on his hand still shakes. He has to grab a hold of his trembling limb in an attempt to control himself.

  _At least until the funeral is over_ , he thinks to himself. Part of him knows the chances of that are very low. It's safer in his armour.

  He stumbles back over to his bed, not bothering to slip under the covers. He curls up in a fetal position, looking out across the empty cold bed. Eventually sleep comes for him but even then all he has is darkness. He's still left with a whole lot of nothing.

  When Obadiah wakes him up in the morning the first thing he's greeted with is a pounding headache. Thankfully his hands have stopped shaking but he'd rather the shaking than the pounding ringing through his head.

  “Time to get up and get ready Tony.” Obadiah says, clamping his hand down on Tony's shoulder.

  “Yeah yeah - I know.” He grumbles as he hobbles across the room to the shower. He smells like stale alcohol and coffee which apparently isn't appropriate for a media event. Of course that's what they're calling it…

  Despite knowing how tight the schedule Aunt Peggy had organised was, he allows himself an hour in the shower. Warm water trickles down his back and the soap stings his eyes but it's nice. It's normal.

  He only leaves because Obadiah is knocking on the bathroom door. He’d been wondering how long the man's patience would last. Apparently it doesn't stretch further than an hour. Longer than Howard’s does.

  Howard's _did_.

  As slowly as he can, he gets out of the shower and wraps a towel around himself. He attempts to roughly dry his hair and is left with a spiky mess of hair sticking up in every direction. Small beads of water cling desperately to the ends of his hair on the patches he missed.

  As soon as he gets out he swaggers over to his wardrobe. He doesn’t look twice at Obadiah who’s waiting impatiently by his bedroom door. His suit hangs there ominously - still neatly pressed and unmoved since Jarvis last hung it there weeks ago. It might not have been pressed for this specific occasion but it'll do.

  With Obadiah waiting in the doorway he has to go back into the bathroom to change into the suit. While he’s there he tries to dry his hair again with marginally more success than last time. He grabs a comb from the side and runs it through his hair a couple of times to tame it.

  “Finally ready?” Obadiah grumbles when Tony finally leaves the bathroom in his full suit.

  “Can’t rush beauty.” Tony says with a forced smile. It’s not like anyone cares that it’s hollow. Not really. Not when everything else is hollow.

  “Clearly not.” Obadiah mutters with a roll of his eyes, “The car is leaving in five - we’ve gotta head over now.”

  Before leaving the room he picks up a pair of black glasses to match his suit, checking himself once over in the mirror. Now he looks slightly more presentable, discounting his slightly wet hair. Thankfully it’s fittingly raining outside which means his hair would’ve ended up getting wet - even if he had his shower at a more reasonable time.

  “Come one sleeping beauty. We’ve got places to be.” _Yeah his own parents funeral_.

  “Coming, coming.” He lets himself be bundled into the black car by Obadiah. Despite all the space in the back, Obadiah purposely sits himself directly next to Tony. Tony doesn’t have the strength to ask the man to move so he stays uncomfortably close.

 “You both ready?” The new driver asks through the little window linking the back and front of the car. Tony’s heart almost stops at the sight of it. Not Jarvis. Not Jarvis because he’s gone. Just like his parents he’s gone and not coming back.

  Excluding his time at MIT, he’s never gone anywhere without Jarvis driving him. He was there for every five plus hour drive to his boarding school. For every trip to the park. Every press conference. Every photo shoot. This is the first time he wouldn’t be right there beside Tony. Tony wouldn’t even be going to the man’s funeral. God, he hadn’t even asked who was going. Would anyone be going except for Peggy?

  He can’t keep his eyes on the space where Jarvis should’ve been. Instead he focuses on trying to glare holes through his shoe. His eyes trace every line of stitching keeping it together in great detail.

  In the background he can hear Obadiah chattering away about something or other but he doesn’t care. It’s not like he ever listened to the man before. Why would he start now?

  Instead, Tony’s eyes are fixed on the world outside the window. Raindrops trickle down the window leaving glistening paths in their wake. Grey clouds line the skies, blocking out the sun that might still be up there somewhere.

  As they drive through the city they pass buildings with Christmas decorations. Christmas trees sparkle in windows and light displays flicker in front of peoples houses. When had it been Christmas? He lost count of the days. He’d gone his whole life without really celebrating Christmas but even so, it now feels weird not to be celebrating again. If they hadn’t died would he have celebrated Christmas?

  His hand automatically flickers down to the locket hanging around his neck. He’d forgotten he was even wearing it. As usual it’s hidden underneath all his clothes so no one can see it. The warm metal is pressed against his heart. Mary had promised he was invited around to hers for Christmas again this year. Had she or Rhodey tried to contact him? Probably. He had turned off all the notifications on his phone so anything that had come from either of them went unnoticed.

  “You okay?” Obadiah asks with a furrowed brow.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” Tony mutters, nodding his head vigorously. He breathes in deeply and bites the inside of his cheek discreetly, “When was Christmas?”

  “Four days ago.” Obadiah says as he checks his watch. Four days...huh. Almost the new year now.

  Suddenly the car comes to a stop in front of the graveyard. People are already gathered in large clumps outside in the rain. Umbrella’s are shared between the members of the crowd as they wait for Tony’s arrival. At least there don’t seem to be any cameras here yet.

  “Are you ready?” The new driver asks softly from the front seat. He looks incredibly young - at least compared to Jarvis. Can’t be much older than twenty. His hair is dark brown and curly to match his dark brown, almost black eyes.

  “Let’s get this over with.” He mutters with a sigh. The driver nods encouragingly, not pushing him to get out of the car. He slides out of the car and walks around to their door to let them out of the car. He lets Tony out first with Obadiah following close behind.

  As soon as Tony and Obadiah are out of the car he turns to get back in the front seat to drive away. Without thinking Tony catches his arm, drawing Obadiah’s attention as well as the drivers.

  “You should come too.” The driver stops, frowning at Tony with one hand on the door handle.

  “Me?”

  “Who else would I be talking to?” Tony asks as he scans the pavements for any other people. Other than the ones already gathered in the graveyard, the streets are completely empty. Abandoned. He wonders if Peggy had any part in that.

  “Um, well I never actually met Howard or Maria. In fact this is my first day on the job…” He mumbles.

  “No different to everyone else here then. At least if you're there we’ll have the driver on hand in case we need to make an emergency get away.” Tony explains. Of course it's not quite true, he would never be allowed to make an emergency get away from this funeral. Obadiah and the others are here to ensure he doesn't go running off in the middle of the ceremony.

  “Well…if you're sure…” He says uncertainly. Instead of watching Tony, his eyes are firmly fixed on Obadiah who's standing beside Tony.

  “Tony…” Obadiah warns, dragging out his name. The umbrella is now open and is only just covering them both despite it's huge size. Obadiah's body is turned so it doesn't face the driver as his eyes rake the boy up and down.

  “Ignore him. He's gotta do whatever I say.” Tony says, waiting for Obadiah to challenge him. The man forces himself to smile and chuckle, throwing his hands up in defeat, but fire burns underneath. No part of him is happy admitting inferiority to a seventeen year old.

  Without waiting to see the drivers response, Tony begins walking along the pavement up to the gate to the graveyard. Without Obadiah trailing at his side there's no umbrella to protect him from the elements. Unlike his shower earlier, the beads of water clinging to his hair are anything but warm. He can't suppress the shiver that runs down his body as the freezing droplets streak down his face like icy tears. All attempts to wipe away the raindrops only make it worse. Spreads out the chill so it covers even more of his face.

  He's so cold he doesn't even notice when an umbrella appears overhead, forming a protective black barrier around him. He expects to turn around to find Obadiah walking alongside him but Obadiah is till sulking a way behind him. Instead the driver is the one offering him what little shelter he can.

  “You should at least try to stay warm.” He says with a soft smile.  

  “What's your name?” He asks. It's probably something he should've inquired about earlier but better late than never.

  “Happy. Happy Hogan.” He says, holding his hand out awkwardly as they walk along the bumpy path. Tony raises one eyebrow as he looks down at the hand being offered to him. Happy flushes slightly as he quickly drops his hand back down to his side.

  They're slowly starting to get closer to the other people waiting in the rain. Every step makes him more and more uncomfortable. They're faces he's seen every now and then at parties but no one that actually matters. Just people that are part of the same general business.

  He flashes one of his award winning smiles and gives them a quick wave as he approaches. Switching on the charm factor he was taught by his parents. Play the part. Always play the part.

  Stark men are made of iron. Iron doesn't break or bend. But standing out in the rain he can't help but remember that iron can rust away into nothing.

  His rigidness must be obvious because Happy leans over to talk to him, effectively warding off any people who might want to come talk to Tony. With his time being taken up by Happy there's no opportunity for the others to try and ambush him.

  “What's the real reason I'm here?” He asks, watching the flocks of vultures dressed in black cawing amongst the tombstones. Their eyes follow Tony as he walks by, talking amongst themselves still as the rain patters dully on the headstones around them. No matter where he goes he can feel their eyes in him. No amount of smiling, waving and charm can do anything at a funeral.

  “You make a good bodyguard.” He says casually, picking up the pace ever so slightly. Happy easily keeps up with him since his legs are considerably longer than Tonys - not that that's hard, “And because you remind me of someone.” With Happy here he can almost pretend the one constant in his life is still there.

  “I don't know who you're referring too but in context I'll take that as a compliment.” Happy says, holding his head up a little higher. The hand holding the umbrella is curled up into defensive fist, ready for any sign of danger. Even his chest is puffed out a little. It's endearing, if not a little quirky.

  Luckily having Happy with him seems to be effective. He manages to walk down the entire path without being stopped once. Behind him, he spots Obadiah stopping to greet many of them in Tony's stead. A few people begin moving towards Tony but quickly change their minds.

  It's not like Tony has ever been any of their favourite choice for the job of CEO. They all hated him in reality. All of them are like minded. All close minded. Too much like Howard. If it was up to them the position would be handed over to Obadiah permanently. Old coots.

  With Tony leading the way to the chapel, the others take it as I sign to get moving. They follow from a reasonable distance, chatting amongst themselves in hushed tones. Every conversation goes cold when he gets closer, not that he particularly wants to join in with their conversations.

  Fortunately, they all have the sense to shut up inside the Chapel. No one speaks a word from the moment they enter. Oddly enough there's no children around to challenge the tentative quiet. He shouldn't be surprised since Obadiah made the guest list. It's not like Howard knew any kids anyway. Not even any of his business partners kids.

  Thankfully it's a fact that means the rest of the ceremony goes off without a hitch. With the exception of carrying the casket down the aisle, he allows himself to tune out through it. He'd purposely given himself as little to say and do as possible. He knows everyone in the room is waiting for him to get up and say a few words be he stays rooted to his spot on the bench. It's not like he has any words. Not right now. He knows eventually he has to get up and say something but he put that off for as long as possible in the schedule.

  From the front, Maria’s face stares back at him. It's a terrible photo of her. Why had he let Obadiah pick the photo again? She looks more like a lifeless porcelain doll in the picture than an actual human. If he'd chosen the picture he would've found one of her playing the piano. That was when she was most alive. Most beautiful.

  Happy is sat next to him much to Obadiah's dismay. He's not going to lie that part of the reason he'd asked for Happy to stay was to annoy Obadiah. Sure the man had done a lot for him and was genuinely doing his best to try and help Tony, but there was something very satisfying about annoying him.

  People watch him curiously the whole time. The time is drawing closer for him to speak. His least favourite part of the whole affair. In truth, he has no idea what he's going to say. He never got that far. He was supposed to think of something to say last night but evidently that had never happened.

  When they do finally call him up he still has no idea of what he's going to say. Where do you even start? What are you supposed to say? No one had really briefed him for this part of the funeral.

  The priest smiles gently as he beckons Tony up to the podium. Clearing his throat as quietly as possible, Tony gets up from his chair and begins heading over. He musters every ounce of confidence he can so he doesn't have to hobble over to the stand like a wounded animal.

  He is a Stark man. Stark men are made of iron. He will not rust.

  Looking out at the sea of people staring up at him, red eyed, he's hit with the reality that he honestly barely knows anyone there. None of them care about Maria and Howard really. Even their tears are fake.

  Carefully side eyeing the priest who is still staring directly at him, Tony opens his mouth to speak.

  “My father, Howard Stark, was a great man. He truly has shaped the weapons industry and modern warfare to a degree no one thought was possible. But everyone knows that it's nothing new. What people don't ever talk about is how amazing Maria was.” Talking about Howard was damn near impossible but Maria, his mother, that he could talk about.

  “When I was younger she used to sit down with me and play the piano every night before bed. She used to sing so beautifully that even Howard couldn't hide away in his office working. She was a complicated woman, definitely, but she had a good heart.”

  “While Howard changed the world through his world famous weapons, Maria would throw galas and charity events to raise millions of dollars for thousands of different causes, each one as important and as life changing as the work Howard did throughout his life. She saved thousands, if not millions, of lives through her work with all the different charities.”

  “If Howard proved that anyone from any background can build an empire if he works hard enough. Maria proved that any amount of kindness - even if it is just raising money every now and then - can save just as many lives as people like Howard.”

  “In all the seventeen years I knew them I never once got to tell them this but I'm proud. I'm proud I was their son and I only hope I can be half the person they both were.” Tony forces himself to smile slightly.

  He hadn't realise it was true until he said it aloud. He was _proud_. Maybe not of Howard but of his mother. God Howard was a shit dad sometimes - when he was actually around anyway - but Maria had tried. She never had been cut out for motherhood but she had done her best. At least for a little while.

  A few people clap quietly as Tony takes his seat by Obadiah again. People had been expecting him to talk about Howard but he had nothing to say about the man. If he hadn't been so insistent on driving early this never would've happened. They would all still be here.

  He's so unfocused on the actual scene in front of him that he doesn't realise they're all standing up to move into the graveyard until Happy tugs on his shirt sleeve gently.

 He let's Happy guide him to the graveyard with everyone else. While Happy drowns in the back of the crowd, Obadiah drags Tony up to the front so he can stand right in front of the coffin. In full view of everyone. There's nothing unusual about the son being placed at the front of the crowd - it's the norm - but he can't help but feel exposed.

  He can't wait for it all to be over.

  Once again he's not really paying the priest any heed as he speaks over the grave. Instead his focus is drawn to the crowd of paparazzi now taking pictures of them all gathered around the grave. They're a fair distance away to try and give everyone some space but they might as well be right in their faces.

  No one makes a move to stop them or send them away. In fact people begin getting handkerchiefs out and dabbing their eyes to make them look more red.

  Obadiah words ring through his head. He'd called it a media event. Of course he had. Even a funeral is an opportunity for some good PR. Let some paparazzi into the funeral to show everyone the sad photos of the grieving family. Once a businessman, always a businessman.

  For the rest of the service, he can't help but keep an eye on the paparazzi. With his sunglasses on none of them can see where he's looking so they must all be assuming he's quietly mourning like everyone else. Of course he plays up the emotions a bit for the cameras. Give them something to feed on to keep them busy for a while.

  Even when the service is over and people start leaving, they don't leave. They're waiting to get photos of him crying.

  A few people stay behind but most people have already left. Completely forgetting about the whole affair. It's not until all of them have cleared off that the paparazzi finally pack up their stuff and begin running away from the rain.

  Even Obadiah has gone now. Trying to deal with some important issues or other. Tony isn't going to pretend to care about it. Happy is the only one left standing in the rain with him now.

  “Go head, deal with Obadiah. I'll text Obadiah if you need to come pick me up.” Tony mumbles as he steps towards with gravestone. Without all the people and camera crowding in it feels more like a funeral.

  “Are you sure?” Happy asks as he looks from Obadiah to Tony.

  “I need some time alone.” Tony whispers. Happy nods understandingly but is still reluctant to leave. “I'm a big boy, I’ll be fine.” He flashes a weak smile.

  “You better text.” Happy points an accusatory finger at Tony. Tony nods along. No way is he walking all the way back. As much as be wants to be alone, he's always going to choose driving over walking.

  “At least take this.” Happy tries to hand over his umbrella to Tony.

  “I'm f -” Tony starts but he's quickly cut off as Happy steps closer with a squelch of mud.

  “No. Just take it.” Happy presses the handle into Tony's hand gently. He wraps his hand around the handle to support the weight of it.

  “See you later.” Tony waves as Happy turns to walk to the car.

  The mud squelches as he bends down to press one hand onto the grave stone. His shoes and the cuffs of his trousers must be filthy but he doesn't have the energy to care. Of course their funeral had to be on the shittiest day. Was it too much to ask for a little sun?

  Cold ripples through his arm from the point where he is touching the gravestone. He'd thought that seeing them buried here together would trigger something. Make him cry. But even now there is nothing except that abyss. He still has yet to shed a single tear over their deaths.

  “Tony.” His silence is interrupted by a voice that only just reaches him over the sounds of the rain falling. For a second he thinks it's only the wind until he hears it again.

  "Tony..."

  Curiously, he stands up and turns around to find himself staring into bright green eyes. Mary is stood in the rain without an umbrella.

  Water is sticking her hair to her head, clumping it and darkening it so it looks as dark as his own hair. Droplets of water dribble off of her nose, ears and chin as the water washes over her. Even from a distance it's easy to see she's shaking. Maybe it would've been smart to look at the whether forecast before she put on a dress.

  “What are you doing here?” Tony hisses looking her up and down. She takes a tentative step closer but not moving close enough to be underneath the umbrella.

  “You shouldn't be alone.” She says quietly. Despite the rain raging around him, all be can hear are her words.

  She's gripping onto her own arms, holding them close to her chest in an attempt to reduce the shaking. Although it's working for her arms, the motion quickly shifts over to her legs which are harder to steady. When she sneezes he finally forces himself to open his mouth and speak.

  “Come on over.” He mumbles, lifting up the umbrella slightly to allow her to slip under. She hesitates for a second but her train of thought is cut off when she sneezes again. She quietly slips under the umbrella to stand in front of him, water still dribbling down her face.

  “Hold this for a second.” He hands her the handle to the umbrella which she takes without question. Since Tony is somehow taller than her she is careful to raise it slightly so both of them fit comfortably underneath it.

  Tony quickly unbuttons his suit jacket and slides out of it. As soon as he's out of its warmth the chill of the day bites into him. If it's this bad for him he can't imagine how cold it is for her.

  Once he's got it off he takes the umbrella back from her and presses the jacket into her hands. She backs away slightly with her hands raised but Tony's not going to let her refuse this time.

  “Don't try to refuse, you're taking it. You must be absolutely freezing. I'm nowhere near as wet or underdressed as you so it makes sense for you to wear it.” Tony argues, keeping the jacket pressed against her chest. After pausing for a few seconds she grabs a hold of the jacket and carefully slips it on. Her face nuzzles into the fabric to try and lazily dry off the worst of the rain from her face.

  For a while they just stand there side by side. Tony looks down on his parents grave quietly. There's plenty of flowers and decorations adorning the space but for some reason that only makes him feel worse.

  Mary steps closer and wraps her arms around his waist so she's clinging onto him. Her head rests on his shoulder, her cold wet hair rubbing against his cheek. It's like cuddling an ice block but he doesn't dare move.

  “Were you ever going to tell us?” She whispers. Her eyes look up at him from her spot on his shoulder. He has to pause for a second to think about it.

  “Course. You were going to figure it out on your own in the end.”

  “That's not what I was asking.” She takes her head off of his shoulder, “Were _you_ ever going to tell us?”

  “I almost did last night.” He mutters, thinking back to how tightly he'd held his phone, “No.” He whispers. He wasn't going to tell either of them if he could help it.

  “Both of us saw it in the newspapers and tried calling you never responded.” She whispers as her arms unwrap from around him so she can fully face him.

  “Where is Rhodey?” He looks around the empty graveyard for any sign of his other friend.

  “He's left for his training course now. Preparing himself to join the airforce. You would've known if you bothered checking your phone. Last day in the country was Christmas day. His family decided to come over for Christmas day again. We thought we'd have the whole group together for Rhodey's going away party. You never turned up of course.” She says quietly, looking up at Tony.

  Going away party… He'd always been planning on leaving - he'd said so himself. Joining the armed forces. He'd wanted to be a pilot for as long as he could remember so it was the next logical step. Tony just hadn't expected him to join up so soon. He'd missed his chance to say goodbye because he was drinking himself into a stupor.

  “Then two days ago Rhodey sends me a message saying your parents had been killed in the 16th.” She continues, her eyes shifting to the gravestone this time, “You could’ve told us Tony. We’re both here for you.” He can feel her eyes back on him but he refuses to take his eyes off of the grave. It's easier to hear her words when he doesn't have to also look at her.

  Suddenly her her icy hand reaches out to touch his face. She gently pushes his head so he's forced to look at her. Her hand keeps him in place as she steps closer. Tears glisten in her eyes as she stares up at him.

  Carefully she moves her hand to grab a hold of his sunglasses and gently take them off. She folds them up and tucks them in his pocket and her hand returns to his face. It doesn't need to be there but she keeps it there regardless.

  “We care about you and we'll always come if you need us so you don’t have to keep hiding yourself away like this.” She pleads quietly.

  For a second they both stand there, staring at each other. Although it's just a second, it manages to feel much longer. Every ounce of time diluted by the thundering rain.

  She’s the first one to make a move, throwing her arms around his neck to pull him into a tight hug. He carefully squeezes her back with his free arm, burying his face in her wet hair. Cold water sticks up his face but he’s so numb it doesn’t even matter anymore.

  “You’re freezing.” He murmurs into her hair. She stays silent but he can feel her laughing.

  “You’re pretty cold too. I’m actually surprised you’re not colder- you’ve been out here for ages.” She says as she pulls back.

  “I’ve got good circulation, unlike you.” She always seemed to be cold, often wearing hoodies and cardigans even when it's supposed to be warm outside. He can’t imagine how cold she must be right now. Why was she even wearing a dress in the first place?

  “We should probably get out of the rain.” She says, looking around for anyone else who might be in the graveyard but they’re completely alone now. No one to give either of them a lift.

  “How did you get here?” He asks frowning. Normally when she wants to go somewhere she has her adoptive dad drive her but he’s nowhere to be seen.

  “I walked. Ruth and Charles are away on holiday. Wanted to go somewhere warm for a change.” He remembers them talking about going away for Christmas last year but he hadn’t thought they would actually do it. Their family didn’t exactly have the sort of money needed to go on a spontaneous family holiday.

  “Why aren’t you with them?”

  “I told them I wanted to spend Christmas with you and Rhodey.” Both of them knew that wasn’t why she didn’t go on holiday with them. They might have adopted her but she was never going to be the daughter they wanted. And they weren't the parents she needed.

  “Is the 29th too late for a Christmas celebration?” He asks, slinging his arm around her shoulders as they begin walking to the edge of the graveyard.

 He can’t help but glance back at the graveyard they’re leaving behind. The polished perfect gravestone that shouldn’t be there. _At least they’re together_ he thinks to himself. _They’re all together_ he adds thinking of the Jarvis’. He never was the same without Ana by his side.

  “I don’t think it’s the time for a celebration.” She mumbles as she sees him looking back at the spot they had left. She doesn’t say anything further but gently rubs his back as she leans her head on his shoulder.

  The raindrops dripping down his cheek from a tiny hole in the umbrella almost make it look like he's been crying. But in reality his eyes are completely dry.

  Without thinking they end up wandering back to the mansion in the rain. If they’d thought about it Tony could’ve called Happy to get him to pick them up but they didn’t so here they were.

  Although they’re cold to the bone by the time they get to the mansion it isn’t all bad. Walking gave Mary plenty of time to lecture Tony on all the things he’s missed while he went dark. Apparently a lot can happen in a week or so.

  It turns out Happy isn’t even in when they get to the mansion. In fact, the mansion is entirely empty. It’s been years since it’s actually been completely empty. No staff no nothing. Somehow it actually feels less empty without all the staff pottering around silently.

  “I hope this means you’re finally going to let me into your infamous lab.” She wiggles her eyebrows, skipping down the empty corridor. It’s a strange sight to behold. He’d always made sure to keep Rhodey and Mary separate from the long hollow halls. Having the two worlds collide together is a strange experience.

  “Yeah yeah.” He grumbles with a smile. Truth be told he doesn’t know if he could handle going to the other rooms right now. His lab is the only place in the entire mansion not imprinted with the memories of any of the people he’s lost.

  As soon as they step through the door they're assaulted by two very distressed bots. DUM-E beeps angrily as he whirls circles around Tony's legs while Butterfingers tugs at the bottom of Mary’s dress.  

  “Aw, hello.” She bends down to stroke his head while he bumps into her fondly. Once he’s finished getting attention from Mary he joins DUM-E spinning in circles around him.

  “Yeah yeah. I missed you too.” He pats their heads tentatively. They both seem to calm down slightly after the gesture. They’ve stopped spinning around and are instead looking up at Tony softly.

  “You’ve been abandoning them down here, haven’t you?” She scowls at him with her arms crossed.

  “I had a couple of other things to deal with.” Tony tries to explain but Mary’s not even paying attention. All her focus is once again on the bots.

  With the bots momentarily distracted, Tony walks over to his main worktop. Unfortunately the movement doesn’t go unnoticed by Butterfingers and DUM-E who follow hot on his tail. They almost bump into each other when Tony comes to a sudden stop.

  Mary comes to stand at his side, lacking the distraction of the bots now. She peers over his shoulder curiously. A quiet presence compared to the loud bots he’s used to.

  His fingers dance over the keyboard as he types in his password. The familiar home screen comes into focus, hundreds of project files scattered across the cluttered desktop. With his father gone he has no orders to fulfill. No deadlines to meet. Obadiah wont commission any designs from Tony like Howard used to. For a man as ambitious as he is, he’s really not ambitious.

  Without the pressure to come up with new designs weekly he has an actual chance to get on top of those forgotten personal projects.

  “What are all these for?” She asks as her eyes quickly scan through the folder names. They must sound like complete nonsense to everyone else but they all make sense to him. No one else ever looks at them so they don’t have to make sense to everyone else.

  “Designs.”

  “I guessed that.” She rolls her eyes, “What are they designs for? Projects for SI?”

  “Not exactly, more personal projects. Maybe one day I’ll be able to use them in the company but that’s years away.” He mutters, more to himself than her.

  In truth he’d been thinking about this for a while. Although SI was primarily a weapons company did that mean they couldn’t widen their horizons? Howard had done a great job with the company - he really had - but there was so much more they could do.

  He opens a few of the files, flicking through the various designs. Designs for phones, computers, robots, AI software, cars and medical technologies stare back at him from the screen.

  This will be the future of Stark industries.

  She stops him as the designs for upgrades for the bots come up. He’d been wanting to upgrade them for a while. Not software upgrades, just physical ones. Little upgrades which will make them more helpful in the lab which has become their new home. His current design isn’t particularly helpful or safe in a big lab filled with dangerous objects. He’d been working on some designs to try and make him bigger and make his claw more versatile so he can help around the place better. At least that way he can justify keeping the little guys around.

  “We should start upgrading the bots.” She says as she pats DUM-E’s head. He bleeps at her happily, not entirely sure what she’s saying but happy nonetheless.  

  “Let’s sort you boys out then.” He hisses under his breath. He grabs his toolkit and hands it to Mary who takes it with a smile. While she’s adjusting its position in her arms he jogs over to the other side of the room to grab his spare toolkit.

  “Do you have any spare clothes?” She pulls at her soaking dress. He’s not much better in his soggy suit. Not exactly good clothes for working in a lab.

  “I should have some stuff back here.” He mutters as he goes to grab some clothes from the stack he keeps ready in case of emergencies. He manages to find a pair of dungarees, some joggers and two stained t-shirts for the both of them.

  As usual, they don’t bother leaving the room to get changed. Nothing they haven’t already seen at this point in their friendship. She takes the dungarees, rolling up the bottoms which are a little long for her. The t-shirt is bright red and sticks out like a sore thumb but fashion isn’t something either of them are particularly worried about right now.

  Mary sits down on the floor in front of Butterfingers, Tony’s designs shining on the screen next to her. She grabs a hairband from her wrist and quickly ties her hair up messily.

  Tony takes his spot in front of DUM-E at Mary’s side. For the first time, DUM-E stays stock still while Tony works. If only he was always this well behaved. Maybe he should always keep Mary around so they both stay in check.

  The changes he's designed aren't big but if he wants to start adding things he’ll need to adapt the wiring first. It's not particularly hard work but it’s time consuming and dull. _Has to get done at some point though_ he supposes.

  Neither of them speak while they work, lost in their own little worlds. He’s not really sure how long they work for. It’s not until Mary starts dozing off while working on Butterfingers claw that he realises time has flown by.

  Not wanting to go to sleep yet himself, he picks up Mary gently and places her on the sofa. There’s an old woolen blanket strewn over the back of the sofa which he quickly grabs and wraps around her.

  With her asleep, he keeps working alone for hours. Occasionally he looks up to check on her but she hardly moves a muscle. After a while he stops bothering checking, giving DUM-E his full attention.

  With Mary asleep, Tony works quietly all the way through the night. From his little spot he can't see the couch so she's almost completely invisible. Only the sound of her breathing reminds him that she's still present and alive.

  Hours must go by as he works quietly, keeping an ear out to check on her. Without checking the time he can't be sure but it feels like morning again. Although he never has been a good judge of time. It could be the middle of the night or even the afternoon for all he knows.

  After a few more minutes of working his phone suddenly begins buzzing from the countertop. He'd forgotten that he'd set an alarm for this morning to signal when he was supposed to be leaving for yet another meeting.

  Logically, he knows he shouldn't go. He wouldn't normally go. After all he hasn't slept in hours and hours. Last time he slept probably shouldn't even count as it left him more drained than he was before he slept.

  But his eyes drift back over to Mary.

  He’d come way too close to opening up to her after the funeral. Uncomfortably close. So far he'd done a great job of keeping his distance. He'd been burnt too many times and learnt that opening up to people never went well. They either left or betrayed him. Or died.

  The logical thing to do would be to stay here and talk things out with Mary in the morning. He knew that. It's what Jarvis had been trying to get him to do for years. What Rhodey was trying to get him to do.

  Instead he sets down his tools and phone on the counter top. Butterfingers watches him curiously from his little spot on the floor. Tony hadn't quite finished working on him but it would have to do for now.

  Apparently he was going to attend a meeting for a change.

  Looking down at his messy, stained jogging bottoms and AC/DC t-shirt he realises he should probably get changed. If he's going outside he needs to be ready - can't exactly go around looking like a half dead hobo when people are always looking to take your photo.

  Before leaving the house he runs back up to his room to find some decent clothes. Luckily there's a whole closet full of suits and shirts Tony usually leaves alone perfect for the occasion. Without properly looking he throws together a shirt, pair of trousers and suit jacket to complete the little ensemble.

  Somehow he actually smells alright for now but he’ll have to have a proper shower when he gets back. Despite that he does grab some cologne quickly to try and cover up some of the damp smell which is sticking to his skin uncomfortably.

  As he walks through the mansion he can hear Happy walking around nervously. For a second he considers asking Happy to drive him but catches himself. While he'd been okay being driven to the funeral, the thought of being driven somewhere again sends a shiver through him.

  He couldn't put his life into someone's hands like that.

  What if they crashed too?

  He'd be trapped in the back seat alone.

  Out of control.

 

  No.

 

  Being careful to avoid being spotted by Happy, he shuffles through the corridor to the garage. It's not a particularly long walk which is always a good thing. Less chances go run into people.

  When he arrives in the garage he is greeted by the room full of cars Howard had collected over the years. Being as rich as they were, Howard hadn't even thought twice before buying whatever new car he liked the look of. Why should he? They still had cars from Howard's youth tucked away amongst all the rest of them. Must be worth a small fortune now (not that Tony was in need of any money).

  They hardly ever drive any of them either. In fact the only thing Tony saw Howard drive in his last few years was the black car Jarvis always drove them around in. Once upon a time he must’ve driven these cars about. But that time was long gone.

  For the first time in his life, Tony is able to choose what he wants to drive. If he wanted to he could jump straight into Howard's red corvette and trash it by crashing into a wall or two. No one could stop him. Howard must be rolling over in his grave.

  Grinning, Tony grabs the keys to the corvette from the side and makes a dash for it. Growing up this had been the dream. Driving one of daddy's special cars.

  One of his cars now.

  The magic slightly faded now, Tony starts up the car and begins driving off towards the city again.

  After a few seconds he realises he's left his phone in his lab but can't be bothered to go back for it. It's not like he's really going to need it. In the past few days he'd been dragged to so many meetings with so many different people he'd memorised the route he needed to take to get to the lawyers office.

  Luckily it isn't a very long drive but he is almost certainly going to be late anyway. To be honest, he hadn't planned on actually coming so they'll be surprised to see him at all probably.

  Sure enough, Obadiah looks like he's seen a ghost when Tony walks into the room. Although he quickly composes himself again, it's clear he's been thrown off by the arrival. The lawyer is considerably less surprised, with a chair already set up for him. Clearly she was new around here.

  Despite Obadiah’s claim that the meeting would last hours, it seems to end prematurely after only an hour and a half. Maybe he'd been over exaggerating but to be honest, he doesn't care why it's over so soon.

  Coming had been a mistake. He already knew that. Sure, it had gotten him away from dealing with any issues but he was regretting not getting a coffee first.

  Instead of going home he heads straight to the cafe across the road with Obadiah. The coffee is already beckoning him. Calling him closer. If he can just get some coffee in him he’ll be able to recharge.

  “What were you doing at the meeting? I thought you were going to stay at the mansion.” Tony had never specifically spoken about his plans but they both knew he wasn't going to come.

  “I just wanted to get some space.” Tony grumbles as he downs the coffee in seconds. It's not a lie. He needed space from that mansion more than anything. Especially since there's also Mary waiting for him in the lab.

  “Well we’re going to have to head back. We need to sort out the company as soon as possible.” Obadiah thinks aloud. It's not a process Tony is really involved with right now, considering he's still seventeen but it's not like it matters anyway. Obadiah is going to do whatever he wants with the company for the next few years, regardless of what Tony says.

  Instead Tony nods along. They don't really need to stay in the cafe really - there's plenty more coffee in the mansion waiting for him.

  “That new driver will be glad to see you. Couldn't figure out what happened to you last night and he'd been convinced you'd died and it was his fault.” Obadiah laughs gruffly. Tony hadn't even considered what Happy might be thinking when Tony never called to ask for a lift. It hadn't even crossed his mind.

  As soon as they get back to the mansion Happy greets them with a scowl. Mary must've woken up and found Happy because he's burnt through his relief to leave only frustration and stress. The worst combination.

  “Why didn't you call last night?! You could've been killed.” Happy screeches. Although before he'd thought Happy was very similar to Jarvis, it was clear he didn't deal as well with stress. There was no cool and calm mask being used to cover up the hysterical anger and frustration.

  “Well I didn't so it's fine.” Tony brushes Happy off.

  “I figured that when I met your lady friend.” Happy says almost smugly as they both walk to the mansion with Obadiah following very close behind.

  “Just a friend.”

  “Well she's gone now. Told me to tell you goodbye.” Happy explains. He can't say he'd not been expecting that. In fact he'd been hoping she would just leave. It was easier than having to actually confront her.

  When he gets back down to his lab he notices that his phone has been moved. For a second he assumes the bits must've done it but it's been gently and carefully placed on the sofa arm rest which rules both of them out.

  Cautiously, he picks up the phone and inspects the nes messages that have popped up in the last few minutes.

 

  **_Could have said goodbye. Your new driver guy had to lead me out._ **

  

  **_Don’t for one minute think this means you get to close yourself off again_ **

 

**_I’m not going anywhere. I’ll text you every day of the bloody year if I have to. You’re stuck with me for life._ **

 

  He tucks his phone back into his pocket with a smile.

  Sure enough, not a day goes by without a text. Sometimes it's a text about what she dreamt about that night. Sometimes a short diary of the day. Sometimes it a copy of her shopping list. Other times random fun facts which are hardly ever fun despite the name. It becomes a staple of the day. They can go weeks, months without seeing one another but never without a text.

 

  But Tony never replies.

 

  Time passes much the same as it always has. He stays out of everyone’s way and fiddles around with various projects in the lab to pass the long days. Sometimes he’ll be notified about a party or an event he needs to attend and Happy will take him out to go find a new suit to make himself look presentable.

  Normally they’re held away from the mansion which gives Tony some much needed relief from the crushing weight of the memories scattered around the place. In fact, the only events held in the mansion now are the ones Tony organises for his new foundation - The Maria Stark Foundation. In an attempt to continue his mother’s good work he opens up the mansion to a fancy gala and fundraising event to try and continue funding the charities she always used to donate to.

  His eighteenth birthday is obviously a huge event. Someone, Tony isn’t sure who, organises a huge party to mark the occasion with hundreds of people Tony has never met and about five he has. In all honesty, he doesn’t remember anything from the night so clearly it wasn’t as bad as he’d thought it might be.

  On his actual birthday Rhodey, Mary, Happy and Peggy come over to celebrate with him for a slightly more relaxed evening than he’d been expecting. Rhodey was put in charge of the evening which apparently meant a shit ton of board games and hot chocolate. Although alcohol had been banned, he made sure to slip some into his hot chocolate to take the edge off of the evening. 

  “I was offered a job in London.” Mary confides once Happy and Peggy have left the room to start cooking dinner.

  Tony is sat up on the piano stool while Rhodey and Mary curl up on the window seat. Her finger traces invisible lines on the window as Rhodey watches birds flutter through the treetops outside.

  “That's amazing! Are you going to take it?” Rhodey asks with a smile. Both of them knew Mary had been wanting an opportunity like this for years. Had always wanted to move to England to continue her research. It had been her dream throughout college.

  “I haven't decided yet.” She hums.

  “What about Richard?” Tony asks, not looking at her or Rhodey. His fingers dart across the piano keys, mimicking the tune his mother used to play. It echoes around the empty hall. A hollowed out husk of his mother's music.

  “He’s eighteen now so he's going to attend Cambridge this September.” She mutters with a slight red blush creeping up her neck. So he’ll be in England too.

  “We’ll miss you.” Tony says as he takes his hands off of the piano.

  “You'll have to come over to visit us both.” Rhodey smiles solemnly.

  As Tony stares down at the piano keys, polished from years of use, he makes a decision. He's going to leave too.

  Almost instantly after his eighteenth he sets to work. If there was nothing left for him in the Manhattan mansion he would build himself somewhere new to live. Somewhere completely different where there's no memories of Jarvis or Maria to plague him.

  In the end he chooses a spot in Malibu that quite literally hanging over a cliff. Apparently it’s impossible to build there and was asking for trouble but he just hears that as a challenge. Nothing is impossible.

  He does as much as he can of the building himself - once the framework, walls and roof have been completed anyway. It isn't much but the freedom it gives him from the mansion is worth the months of hard lonely work.

  Of course, he is never really alone. Happy turns out to be a hard person to shake because he is there everyday, rushing from place to place to collect things Tony needs or to help out with the actual building. DUM-E and Butterfingers like to try and help too, now that they are upgraded enough to actually be of use. Normally they make more trouble than they are worth though so Tony often has to resort to locking them in one of the rooms where they can do the least damage.

  When it is finally finished he sits down in the empty white mansion and watches the sun rise. Without speaking Happy sits down at his side and hands him a cheese burger. It's nothing special but Tony savours the moment.

  He's sitting down in something he built with his own two hands. They said it was impossible but here he is. Iron wings soaring high.

  This is what he loves. That little burst of pride when he finishes a project. Seeing something he's visualised in his head for months come to life.

  Surely Howard must've felt this back in the day when he used to spend all his time inventing things. Maybe that's why he was always so obsessed with Captain America. His greatest creation. Honestly, Tony has no idea how he gave it up. The inventing. Once upon a time he used to be involved in all new weapons designs but as the years went on he got less and less personally involved. By the time he'd died Tony was doing more of the R&D than him.

  “I can't believe we've actually finished it.” Happy laughs, falling backwards so he can lie on the ground.

  “Ready in time for Christmas.” Sure enough, it's the week before Christmas. He'd made sure go work straight through the 16th - not giving himself a second to think about the implications of the day.

  He knows the newspapers had picked up on his absence, pondering over his mental state. Vultures the whole lot of them. Hopefully the Christmas party Obadiah has organised will reassure them of his wellbeing. At least for the time being.

  Christmas passes much like the last and he’s thankfully uninterrupted aside from the gala. Rhodey comes back for the holidays and he drops by the new Malibu mansion on the 22nd to help Tony move all the furniture he actually likes from the Stark Mansion into his new home.

  Aside from the gala, he spends the rest of the Christmas week alone. Happy has gone back home to spend some well deserved time with his family. Tony gives him a whole month off but in the end he ends up coming back pretty quickly. Not even taking three full weeks off. Despite Rhodey and Mary’s best efforts, Christmas was never going to be an important holiday to him.  

  To make matters worse, a few days after Christmas he gets a call from the hospital. He almost didn't take the call but in the end he does pick it up. He certainly wasn't expecting to hear Peggy's voice on the other end.

  "Hello Sweetie." She croaks.

  "Aunt Peggy?" He frowns, checking the number. He knows he definitely has Peggy's number saved to his phone. So why is she calling from a hospital phone? "What's going on? Why are you at the hospital?"

  "They had to admit me a few days before Christmas. I wanted to come and check on you on the 16th but they needed to keep me in the hospital." She says somberly. How long had she been in there now? 

  "What happened? What's wrong?" Panic slowly begins to rise. Not again. Please. Not another person.

  "It's all okay - it's just my memory dear. Alzheimer's." She mumbles quietly. 

  Of course it was a common occurrence in older people but not in Peggy. Not her. She'd always been so strong. Different to everyone else. Stronger. She couldn't be leaving him too. Not so soon after Maria and Jarvis. 

  "There must be something we can do...some technology or medicine...something." He scrambles with his words. Searching something. Anything. 

  "I'm afraid not sweetie. It's fine - it really is. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. You're stuck with me." She laughs but it's quickly interrupted by a croaky coughing fit. 

  He ends up visiting her in hospital a few times. At first it really is as if not much has changed. He can almost pretend they're both sitting on his bed under his fort reading stories. But they're not.

  He does his best to visit her at least once a month - knowing she would do it for him if it was him in the hospital. They don't do much while he's there but it's enough to just be there. To hear her telling her stories once again.

  "I still remember the moment he decided to fly into the ice." She mumbles quietly one day while they're sat there, "I really thought we could all win without any more casualties. I thought we were going to properly win."

  "We did win." Tony sets his phone down to one side. 

  "But our Steve didn't." Our Steve? When was he ours?

  "He did what he did to save everyone. No one wanted it to happen but it had to." If his aunts stories had taught him anything it was that heroes are always willing to put their lives on the line. They'll do whatever they have to do to save everyone - even if it means they themselves can't be saved. 

  "Did I ever tell you he was going to take me dancing Howard?" Howard...she thought he was Howard...For the first time it truly felt like he was losing her too. Despite what she said she was leaving him too. Just like everyone else...

  Nothing changes next Christmas or the Christmas after. With Peggy in her state Christmas' feel even worse than they used to. Not much cause for celebration. Although Rhodey offers for him to come back to his family's home, he politely declines. And he declines the next year. And the next. He's happy with how things are. He really doesn't want to have to go to someone's house and pretend to be happy for the entire holiday.  

  From Mary's texts he knows she comes back every Christmas to spend the holiday with the Parker's. Whether she still sees her adoptive family or not he doesn't know. HE wouldn't be all that surprised if she didn't although she must if she spends the holidays at their neighbours house...

  Just like with Rhodey, he receives and offer from her and even from Richard every time Christmas rolls around but he declines their offers too. Years go by without him seeing a glimpse of her. She tries to arrange meetings a few times but Tony maintains his silence. He doesn't know what he would say or do if he saw her again. It's easier to just shove those thoughts in a box and forget about them.

   “You okay?” Happy asks from across the booth. He’s almost finished Tony’s fries now - one of them still half hanging out of his mouth.

   It’s the day before his twenty first birthday and they’re celebrating at the local Mc. Donald's. It’s not much but he wouldn’t have it any other way. As much as Happy complains about their burger trips Tony knows that he loves them just as much as Tony.

   He never questions why Tony always drives in a separate car. Sometimes they even have one sided car races across town - much to Happy's dismay. If the poor guy doesn't do his best to keep up with Tony's crazy driving he’ll never be able to figure out where Tony went since most of their trips are completely spontaneous and made up on the fly.

  “Course, I’m always fine.” He says with a smile. There’s a black cap pulled over his head and a pair of dark inconspicuous sunglasses perched on his face in an attempt to try and disguise himself. Ever since turning eighteen he’s been in even more papers than ever. He’d rather not risk getting recognised and ambushed by pushy reporters with cameras.

  “You really need to work on your poker face.” He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

  “I have a great poker face.” Tony mutters defensively. Sure, he might normally be drunk while he’s playing poker but in his opinion that only makes his poker playing more impressive.

  “You really don’t.” Happy shakes his head disapprovingly but he’s smiling slightly.

  “I’m great at poker.”

  “You think you’re great at poker but that’s only because you throw hundreds of dollars at it. You’ve never actually won money during the game.” Happy says sternly, pointing at Tony with a floppy fry.

  “Ugh you pay too much attention to the numbers.” Tony grumbles with an eye roll.

  “That’s because it’s my job to pay attention to the things you choose to ignore.” Happy says grouchily.

  Over the few years Tony had realised the guy was just one big ball of stress. He took his job more seriously than most people. Just as seriously as Jarvis had - even if that serious manifested itself in a much more chaotic way in Happy. To be honest, Tony probably had to take responsibility for at least 50% of that stress. Taking care of Tony always had been a stressful job.

  “I thought I was paying you to drive me places when I get bored.” Tony mutters as he takes another bite of his burger. It’s only half eaten but in all fairness, he wasn’t even that hungry. He’d just wanted to get some time out of the house.

  “I’d say I’m being paid to make sure you don’t kill yourself. It requires considerably more work than driving you places.” Happy grumbles.

  “Burger?” Tony slides the half eaten burger towards Happy. He takes it gratefully and takes a huge bite out of it.

  “Look, I’m stress eating. You’re so stressful I’m actually starting to put on weight.” He grumbles once he’s finished his mouthful.

  The phone in Tony’s pocket suddenly buzzes, dragging him away from Happy’s rant. Wasting no time, he pulls out the phone and flicks it open.

 

**_Who buys Courgette cake? Everyone knows chocolate is the only cake worth buying._ **

 

  Tony snorts. Must’ve been Richard. He always did love his healthy food options. Honestly, he’d rather die of a heart attack than give up cheese burgers and pizza. He’ll make other changes in his life but those are non negotiable.

  “What are you doing with that phone? You always have it on you.” Happy asks, having just finished the last of Tony’s burger.

  Tony's actual phone is on the table, being blown up by texts from Obie. It's been years since he upgraded his phone to one of his sleek new designs but he still keeps the flip phone in his pocket at all times. It's the only tie he has left to Mary. Their only method of communication. Sure, he could probably just text her his new number but that involved actually responding to her messages. Besides, he quite liked keeping the phones separate.

  “I’m texting, what does it look like I’m doing?” He asks with a roll of his eyes. As usual he sticks the phone back in his pocket, the text unanswered. Another text to join the uninterrupted chain of messages from Mary. She still hasn't given up though.

  “You know that’s not what I meant.” Happy mutters.

  “It's useful to have two phones. You never know when you might lose a phone or run out of battery.”

  “Not when one of the phones is a crappy old flip phone.” Happy mutters.

  “Since when were you so against flip phones.” Happy had never been particularly great with technology. He could handle basic things but the kinds of phone prototypes Tony has him test out always completely baffle him. By now he's made it fairly clear he'd rather stick to the basic flip phones which are hard to mess up.

  “You're the tech crazy one. You've never been a fan of the good old fashioned phones.” Happy points out.

  “Innovation is the future. Why stick with what you've got when you can make it so much better?”

  “Well I guess you'll be leading that now. Tomorrow SI will officially be yours.” Happy says, moving away from their previous conversation. Both of them know there's no way he's going to get the answers he wants out of Tony. At least not today.

  “The keys to the kingdom.”

  He knows he should be excited but he's struggling to find the energy. Although the last few years have been spent doing nothing but innovating and designing (when he's not partying), he doesn't feel all that excited about actually taking over the company. As much as he wants to implement all his new ideas alongside an even bigger weapons range, he doesn't want ownership of the company. He of all people knows what being CEO does to a person. Howard had stopped inventing years before he died. Tony doesn't want to become that.

  “To the future of stark industries.” Happy says cheerily as he gently bumps Tony’s coffee cup with his own in celebration.

  “To the future.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being much longer than I meant it to, never mind. I had to cut it short and stick the last section onto the next chapter.
> 
> The song Maria sings is "Try to remember" and is the same one she sings at the start of civil war


	3. Only One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony takes over Stark Industries and gets himself a new personal assistant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this one was long. Took so long to edit!
> 
> Thank you all so much for 100 kudos!!

**Show me who I am and who I could be. Initiate the heart within me until it opens properly.**

**\- Son, sleeping at last**

 

~~~

 

  “Phones?” Obadiah frowns uncertainly.

  “Phones.” Tony mirrors back.

  “You do realise we’re a _weapons_ company right?” Obadiah is sat down behind his desk. Although his notebook is open to take down notes on Tony's design ideas he has yet to write anything down. Most likely because Tony hasn't even said the word weaponry yet.

  “Yes.” Tony sighs. Unlike Obadiah who's tightly wound with all his muscles tensed, Tony is leaning back in his chair casually. His legs are up on the desk and his sunglasses are on - just like always. So far Obadiah has yet to ask him to remove his legs from the desk but he can feel the man's patience quickly wearing thin. How much longer will he stay quiet about it?

  “Weapons companies don’t make phones.” He outright closes the notebook in front of him. As good as discarding it and all of Tony's ideas.

  “Why not? Imagine how much more money we could make!” People on the board these days are too closed minded. Don't take enough risks. This wouldn't even be a risk though. Not really. It's obviously something that will end up making the company money. A way to broaden their horizons. Try something different for a change. Get a wider market to sell to.

  “No one will buy them. The military doesn’t want to buy phones - the radios they already have are more than sufficient.”

  “Sufficient isn’t enough. Besides it wouldn’t be for the military, it would be for the public. There’s a whole market out there that we haven’t tapped into. Military contacts might bring in big money but the number of people out there could match that.” As great as the military is, it's just one organisation. One branch. On the other hand, there are millions of everyday Americans just waiting to be sold to.

  “We’re not throwing our military contacts for something like this.” 

  “We don’t need to throw them away - we can just have another sector dedicated to making products for civilians or non military organisations." There's no reason why selling to people other than the military means they have to get rid of their military contacts. They can do two things at once.

  “I don’t know Tony…The stockholders aren’t going to like it.” The stock holders never like anything. Stuck up old people who hate taking risks.

  “Then I’ll convince them.”

  Sure enough, the stockholders aren’t happy in the slightest. Any change is bad in their minds (unless that change is a positive change in their bank accounts). He knew it would be an uphill battle to get them on his side but it needs to be done. Howard might’ve done a great job building the company up but his vision had ended there. The progress had ended there.

  “You have 2 years.” They announce after very careful deliberation which lasts two days longer than it should. “If there's no sizable profit being made from the phones and the weapons sector in that time we’ll pull the plug in the project.”

  Tony isn't worried in the slightest. Years ago he'd mastered the intricate balancing act that was work and play. Adding the responsibilities of a CEO onto the list is a bit of a curve ball but he’s been doing a pretty good job of dealing with the issue so far. At least he thinks he has. Apparently Obadiah disagrees though.

  “You can't not attend the board meetings Tony!” He storms into Tony's office one Monday morning. It's rare to actually find Tony in his office but it does happen from time to time. He'd been hoping he'd be able to avoid Obie while he was here but apparently not. The gods aren't in his favour. Not that they ever have been.

  “You're not a teenager anymore, you're the fucking CEO! Act like it!” He shouts viciously as he comes to a stop in front of Tony's desk. His fist smashes down on the desk in front of TOny and he has to do his best to stop himself from flinching. _Stark men are made of iron._  

  “They're boring and don't tell me anything new. You can just relay anything important that's said.” Not going to meetings hasn't done any harm so far. Whenever he does go they just drag on boring talk about nothing for hours. No one actually needs or wants the CEO there. It's not like they trust him yet. Not until they find out if Tony's Stark Phones are actually bringing in a profit.

  “I'm your business partner and Godfather not you bloody assistant.”

  “Turns out I don't actually have one of those. Your legs might be a bit hairier than the assistants Howard had but you'll do.” When he'd been made CEO he'd been expecting to get a personal assistant but that hadn't happened yet. Not that he particularly wanted one. In fact he was glad not to have one. Seeing Howards skimpy assistants was enough to put him off the idea. 

  “Tony!” Obadiah growls.

  “What?” Tony sighs. He finally stands up from behind his desk to stand eye level with Obadiah. To stare into his eyes. Force him to back down. 

  “Tell your chauffeur to go find you an assistant because I'm not doing the job anymore.” He hisses and slams his hand down on the desk once more.

  “Bodyguard.” Tony snaps instantly. He hadn't even realised he was saying it. 

  “What?” Obadiah frowns, the cogs in his brain slowly turning as he tries to process it. 

  “Happy’s my bodyguard. I always drive myself.” He'd made sure to let everyone know Happy was his bodyguard. Of course he did so much more than body guards traditionally do but it was definitely a step up from just having everyone call him a chauffeur or butler. Even people like Obadiah who had known Happy for years seemed to see him as nothing more than the driver. It wasn't fair on him.

  “Whatever. Do it.” Obadiah storms out the room and slams the door behind him.

  For years now he'd avoided getting himself an assistant. For as long as he could remember Howard had had his own assistant. Some pretty bimbo who was useless on most accounts. They'd trail behind him doing whatever he said without question - Tony's least favourite kind of person.

  Almost every other high up in the company had one so it made sense that he'd have to get one eventually. Still the thought of someone coming into his lab and controlling his lab wasn't favourable.

  Tony stays in his office, lying back in his chair and staring up at the ceiling. It's not the most comfortable but it's better than having to go outside and deal with Happy who is equally mad at him. Turns out cutting down on sleep and upping the alcohol and caffeine isn't a good way to deal with the situation either. And here he was thinking he was dealing perfectly.

  After another half an hour the office door opens and Happy creeps in. Thankfully he closes the door behind him before walking over to Tony's desk.

  “You okay Tony?”

  “Why wouldn't I be.” Tony says confidently.

  “What did Obadiah want?” He perches on the desk like he always does. Close to Tony but not too close. Supporting him from a respectable distance. 

  “To yell mostly. A lot of pent up anger under that bald head,” Tony sighs, “And to tell me to get an assistant.”

  “You could certainly do with one.” Of course Happy and Obadiah are right but that doesn't mean he's going to tell them.

  Fortunately he's saved from having to by the sound of a man screaming outside his office door. In an instant Happy is up on his feet and rushing across the room to investigate.

  It's most likely someone being stopped by the guards. A fan boy or someone more sinister trying their luck. He's fully expecting to see the big burly guard stood outside the door when it opens. However soon it's clear that he couldn't have been more wrong.

  The guard is on his knees, his hands rubbing at his eyes furiously. Standing over him is a ginger haired woman in a pristine grey suit holding a pepper spray in one hand.

  “I don’t like being grabbed.” She says cooly as she stows her spray back in her handbag. Without a second look at the guard she steps past Happy into the office.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Tony leans forward to get a better look at her.

  Without any hesitation she walks straight up to Tony's desk and places a file down on the wooden surface. When Happy makes a move towards her Tony holds up his hand to stop him. What would be the harm in hearing her out? Besides Happy would almost certainly lose in a fight against her. No offence to Happy...

  “You made a mistake in your accounts. It would've cost the company hundreds of thousands of dollars but everyone denied it was a mistake.”

  “So you pepper sprayed one of my guards?” Tony smirks.

  “They refused to let me tell you and then tried to grab me.” She holds her head high and slides the file closer to him. Carefully he opens it and scans the document for the mistake she was talking about. Just like she said, there is a blaring mistake circled with a pink highlighter on the report. Most likely a typo made by Tony while he was delirious and only kept running by about ten cups of coffee.

  Stark Industries hires people like this woman to go over these documents to check for this very thing so why wouldn't they let her report it? If she hadn't brought it to his attention it certainly would’ve cost the company a lot of money. Something he can’t afford at a time like this. Maybe Happy was right about the lack of sleep thing…

  “Well, it seems you were right about the mistake Ms…?”

  “Potts. Virginia Potts.” She straightens her shirt as she clears her throat. Although she seems to have relaxed it's as if she could still snap again at any minute.

  At least someone in this company is doing their job.

  “Thank you Ms. Potts. I trust you don't need anyone to show you your way out.” She shakes her head.

  Just as she turns to leave the room the guard she pepper sprayed stands up. Now he's able to open his eyes you can see how the dark red veins in his eyes match the burning of his face. His brow is tightly furrowed as he glares at Ms Potts.

  As she walks closer to him his fists curl up and his body stiffens. Most of his body is blocking the doorway leaving only a small gap to one side. Without even flinching Ms Potts walks straight up to him and slips through the doorway as if he wasn't even there.

  Not wanting to further embarrass himself, the guard retakes his position outside the door. He's still bright red and his fist is still clenched but it's not like he can do any harm now. Ms Potts is gone.

  Once the door is closed and the sounds of her footsteps have died away Happy comes to stand next to Tony protectively. Although his head is held high it's hard to hide the slight red tint to his skin.

  “I want one.” Tony grins and closes the file.

  “No way.”

  One week later Ms Potts finally comes around to the Malibu mansion. It had taken a bit of convincing but it was obvious to everyone that she was made for something better than sitting behind a desk pushing buttons and reading documents. Even if Tony’s charm, the pay rise, the benefits or the location didn't sway her, the freedom from a desk certainly did.

  Even though he'd known she'd take the job, the triumph of having her actually accept was a nice feeling. If he was going to have an assistant he was going to do it right. They had to be the best of the best and Ms Potts was just that.

  “Mr Stark.” She greets him formally as she enters the living room.

  Unsurprisingly Happy is hot on her heels, watching her with beady eyes. Although he'd offered to be the one to let her in (not that Tony would've done it anyway) he suspects it wasn't out of good will.

  This time she's dressed up just as formally but the clothes are all brand new. A pristine white dress that goes to her knees and covers her arms despite the boiling weather outside. Her hair has been carefully done up into a tight bun that perches on top of her hair delicately. The shock of orange perfectly contrasts the cold white clothes.

  “Pepper.” Tony sets his whiskey glass down on the glass table and stands up to greet her.

  “It’s Potts.” Her eyes dart about the room cautiously. She's drinking in all the sights. Searching for anything that might be important. 

  “I know.” She frowns but has no retort.

  “So what do you think?”

  “It’s nice…” She nods slowly and bites her lower lip. Tony cocks his eyebrows, stepping closer. “Well it’s a bit bland could do with some art or decorations or something.” She mumbles looking around at the blank walls.

  Tony hadn’t bothered properly decorating the place when he built it. He’d never exactly had an eye for art - sue him. Although he liked bright popping colours it hadn’t exactly fit in with the style of the house.

  “You buy some then.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his credit card, chucking it to her. On reflex her hands come up to catch it in order to stop it from hitting her head, “There’s a couple billion on that - I’m sure you can buy something of worth with that kind of money.”

  “...what…?” She mumbles, staring down at the card. She tries to step forward to try and hand Tony the card back but he shakes his head.

  “You’ll want to keep a hold of that, you’ll be needing one of those.” Tony flicks the card gently in her hand.  

  Happy taps her shoulder before she can object.

  “Don’t bother, just take it.” Happy rolls his eyes. He smiles weakly, “You’ll get used to it.” Cautiously she slips the card into her purse without any further protest.

  While she spends the first day on her own getting used to the place, the very next day she’s already bugging Tony. It’s only when the lab door bleeps the next morning that he realises she’s standing outside the lab. The sudden sound almost gives him a heart attack - especially since it is in place to warn him when unauthorised personnel try to get into the lab.

  When he spins around in his chair he’s relieved to see it’s only Pepper trying to gain access. Her hand is pressed against the hand scanner right beside the huge glass panel door. Her free hand is clutching a stack of files. Bright red lights are flashing above her in time with the beeping of the alarm system. The redness is accentuated by the blush creeping up her face.

  “Sorry, Happy told me you would be down here…” Her voice rings through the speaker attached to the lab. Although the lab itself is sound proofed from the inside voices from outside the lab are perfectly audible.

  Sighing Tony gets up off of his chair to let her in. He probably should’ve given her access to the labs but sue him for wanting to keep one place to himself. He likes her well enough but his lab is his place. Just like how Howards had been his own.

  As soon as his hand touches the scanner the door hisses open. With the door open she is now able to hear his music blaring through the lab that wasn’t audible before. Her hands fly up to her ears to try and block them from the noise.

  “Can you turn that off?” She scowls and struts straight into the lab looking for the audio system. Tony lets her walk around the lab in search, not bothering to help her. She’ll figure out where the music is eventually. Sure enough, after a minute or so she finds the speaker and quickly mutes it so she can properly lecture Tony.

  “Didn’t feel like helping?” She grumbles and crosses her arms.

  “You seemed to have it under control.” He smirks and sits back down in his spinny chair. His legs lazily move to rest on the counter top casually.

  “What are you doing here so early?” Judging by the view outside the sprawling windows it must be early morning - maybe 7 o’clock.

  “There was a lot to be done and a lot to discuss with you. I stayed up late last night sorting through your emails and messages - something you don’t seem to have done in years.” She scowls and starts rustling through her papers.

  “Not much point. People will tell me if there’s anything really important.” Tony sighs. It’s a great way of getting out of going to boring events.

  “Well some of these are important.” She pulls up a chair from across the room and drags it over to sit next to Tony. The stack of files drop down onto the counter top in front of Tony.

  It’s going to be a long day…

  Within the week Pepper has his life more sorted than it’s ever been. Better than even Rhodey managed. She’s slotted into his life without issue, directing him in almost every aspect of his life. He’s not really sure how he ever lived without her.

  Between her and Happy they’ve apparently decided Tony can no longer be trusted to be responsible. Even parties now require an escort. While Happy is easy enough to shake off, Pepper is another story. However he didn’t spend all those years with Rhodey and not learn anything about shaking people off. It’s not long until he’s once again alone at the party and free to find himself some proper drinks.

  Most of the night is a blur. He’s fairly sure he spent the majority of the time with a blonde haired woman but she disappears before the end of the night. Along with the drinks.

  The first thing he properly remembers from the night is walking into an empty room separated off from the rest of the party. Why he came here he doesn’t remember but it’s much nicer away from the hustle and bustle. Certainly quieter than the rest of the house.

  Still light on his feet he stumbles around the edge of his room. It’s a drawing room of some kind, filled with plush furniture and soft colours. An empty fireplace stands somberly on one wall. Wallowing in the darkness of the room. There’s probably a light switch somewhere but Tony is too drunk to care.

  In the darkness a large structure catches his eye. Cautiously he creeps over and brushes his hand across the smooth wooden surface. A piano….

  It’s been years since he’s even touched one.

  Maybe…

  He takes a seat on the piano stool, his fingers dragging across the edge of the piano lid softly. As carefully as possible he pries it open and stare down at the soft ivory keys. Just like Maria’s…

  Still feeling the buzz of the alcohol in his veins, He sets his fingers to work on the keys. Dancing the familiar dance. Warm ghostly fingers wraps around the back of his hand, guiding him across the keys. Maria’s voice seems to resonate along with the once joyful tune.

  “You’ve never said you could play the piano.” When he turns around Pepper is stood in the doorway. Slowly, she walks over to him and comes to a stop before the piano.

  He quickly lowers the piano lid. The thud echoes through the room heavily, sitting between them both.

  “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me.” He mutters with a crooked smile.

  “I’m beginning to see that.” The smile she pairs with the words is genuine. True.

  A week later he comes down stairs to find a brand new piano waiting in the middle of the living room. It’s the first thing Pepper has brought with the credit card. While the walls remain barren and artless, the piano fills up the room.

  Part of him expects to feel sad or trapped like he used to whenever he looked at the piano back in the mansion but there’s none of that connection. All he sees now is Pepper.

  Yet it still remains unplayed.

  The next day he uploads her biometrics onto the security system for his lab. Updating the key pad and locks to recognise her prints. Why? He’s not really sure but it just feels right. She never says anything about it but the next day when he wakes up a new oil painting has been hung up on the wall.

  As Christmas rolls around Rhodey finally comes back to the US. Although he’s spending actual christmas day with his family as usual, he makes sure to stop by the mansion while he’s on his way back home.

  Despite knowing he’s coming Tony doesn’t bother leaving his lab that morning. There’s a lot to be done and he has Pepper to deal with these things now. It’s not until the doorbell actually rings that he drags himself up from the lab to the living room.

  “Hello…?” Rhodey frowns as Pepper opens the door.

  Even half distracted by the collosal number of tasks she has to complete she's more on the ball and ready than Tony is. While Tony watches Rhodey enter the house from in front of his fireplace at the other end of the hall, Pepper is already opening the door.

  “Ms. Potts. I'm Mr. Stark’s new assistant” She smiles softly and shakes Rhodeys hand.

  “We all just call her Pepper.” Tony adds as he strolls over to them.

  Rhodey turns and raises his eyebrows at Tony. He knew as well as anyone else why Tony had never had an assistant before now.

  “James Rhodes.” He tries to shake his disbelief in order to properly greet her.

  “Tony's mentioned you.”

  “Oh really?” He watches Tony curiously.

  “Mostly good things.”

  “I would hope so.”

  Just like Mary and Tony, Rhodey and Pepper get on like a house on fire. What could possibly be worse than having Rhodey or Pepper on his back about staying healthy and completely his duties regularly? Having Rhodey  **and** Pepper on his back.

  Despite how busy Pepper likes to keep him, the phones more than pay for themselves. Just like Tony had predicted, they're a real hit with the public. Years ahead of every other crappy flip or brick phone on the market. It's safe to say the project is a complete success. By the end of the end of the two years the board are more than willing to accommodate Tony's ideas - so long as a steady stream of new weapon developments are still being pumped out. They even begin allowing him to take on some of the more risky products. Things like Intellicrops and medical machinery which aren't as public so don't do as much in terms of PR.

  Slowly the company begins to expand alongside Tony's new ideas. Growing and growing. Putting one foot into several different industries. Spreading their assets so all their eggs aren't just waiting in one basket.

  Slowly Pepper spends more and more time at the actual company building while Tony isn't there. Attending meeting in Tony's place and helping run the company. A crutch for him to lean on through the ruthless onslaught of work.

 Time seems to fly by as the company expands well beyond what Howard had created. Between the award shows and parties, meetings and demonstrations Tony finds there's less time for him to think about things that used to plague him every day. Less time to think about his parents. About Jarvis. About Peggy.

  What used to be monthly visits to her nursing home or hospital room slowly becomes every few months, then becomes yearly until he stops going at all. There's just no time. Of course he still pays all the medical bills but he keeps finding more and more excuses not to go visit her. Not to have to look into her face as have her just see Howard. That would hurt too much. 

  Peggy is one of the few things Pepper and Happy don't know about. His little secret. If they ever wonder where the money is going or where he is going then they don't say. How would they react if they knew? Most likely they'd be angry at Tony for running away from it. From his problems. It's a good thing they don't know then...

  Five years into his job as CEO he's invited to one of the high up parties that Howard always used to go to. Unlike the normal events he attends there's basically no one under the age of forty attending - an almost instant turn off. Just being invited is supposed to be a great honour but Tony can't bring himself to care.

  “You’re not wearing that.” She shakes her head as they rush about the mansion. Well, as she rushes about the place. As usual Tony is perfectly content relaxing on the sofa in his black suit. His sunglasses are already on his face

  “What’s wrong with it?” He grumbles. It’s one of his least favourite events. Filled with grumpy old men that never have anything interesting to talk about. He wouldn’t be surprised if Pepper is the only female at the party.

  “They specifically stated white suits.” He had in fact read the dress code but he’d chosen not to follow it. He’d never been fond of white suits - they always end up getting dirty before the end of the night.

  “Well I specifically stated I didn’t want to go.” Tony sighs.

  “Whatever…” She grumbles and walks over to him. She reaches over to straighten his tie as he sits patiently on the sofa. Both of them know he could probably do it himself but he wont.

  Even though she's chastising him for being in black she’s dressed up in a soft blue dress with her hair perfectly curled. Clearly not white so why is she nagging him about it so much?

  "I don't see you wearing white." He growls, taking off his sunglasses.

  "That's because I'm not going with you." She clears her throat and blushes ever so slightly.

  "I thought you were going to be my date for the night?" For most of these events she goes as his plus one. Someone to keep him away from the booze and to guide him to the important people that he needs to talk to. The physical embodiment of his responsibility. 

  "Happy is going to have to do for the night."

  “What are you all dressed up for then?” He cocks one eyebrow. Had she already told him? Maybe. She told him too much for him to ever remember. Normally he tunes all of what she says out.

  “I’ve got a date.” She mumbles and bites her bottom lip. All of her focus is devoted to sorting out his haphazard tie.

  “A date huh?” He smirks. It was beginning to feel like she had no life outside the mansion. Not once since she started working for him has she ever mentioned a boyfriend or even a date. It would make sense - she’s stunning, smart and kind. Why wouldn’t she have a boyfriend?

   _At least someone is going to be having a good time tonight_ , he sighs to himself.

  “I don’t see why it’s any of your business.” She blushes ever so slightly and quickly backs away from him.

  “Never said it was.” He raises his eyebrows curiously. 

  “Good.” She snaps back.

  “Good.” Tony sits up straight.

  At that moment Happy bursts into the room, tapping his watch anxiously. You’d think years of working with Tony would mean he’s used to running late for a=events but apparently not. Every single time he gets nervous and twitchy.

  “You ready to go? We’re already ten minutes late and we haven’t even gotten into the cars yet?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m ready.” Tony sighs and soothes down his suit jacket.

  “Try not to screw anything up too badly tonight, okay?” Pepper sighs as she picks up her handbag from the side and stands up.

  “You’re not coming?” Happy frowns and examines the clothes Peppers clothes.

  “Not this time - you’ll have to keep him in check yourself this time.”

  “But you’re all dressed up…”

  “I’ve got a date and I - unlike you two - am not going to be late.” She checks her own watch, “I’ll see you tomorrow okay?” Pepper asks him, their previous conversation completely forgotten.

  “Bright and early.” Tony sighs. There's nothing but bright and early when it comes to Pepper. Not when it comes to her work anyway.

  Even though Pepper’s date starts later than their party she ends up leaving before them - heading straight out to her car after their conversation. Tony knows he should probably hurry up, more for Happy’s sake than anything, but he takes his time anyway. It’s not like anyone is actually expecting him on time anyway. Fashionably late is his thing at this point. Gotta stay on brand.

  Ten minutes later though Happy has managed to get Tony into the garage where they both choose their cars. Happy uses the same black car as always even though Tony has made sure to tell him that he’s welcome to any of the cars in the garage. As usual Tony goes for the brightest most obnoxious cars possible. One of his Howard’s old ones actually. It’s bright red and screams attention. Perfect for an event like this where people are just there to flash their money about.

  As usual he beats Happy to the party. Not once has Happy ever actually gotten there at the same time as Tony in his eight or nine years of working for Tony. While Happy tends to stick to the actual rules of the road, Tony has no such qualms. All the roads near Tony are deserted anyway so it’s not like anyone cares. There's nothing anywhere near his mansion for miles. Completely deserted for miles - just the way he likes it. 

  With Happy still off driving god knows where, Tony takes himself inside to find something to drink. A few people nod a greeting as he walks past but they’re all already engrossed in their own conversations. It’s not until he actually gets into the building that someone actually tries to speak to him.

  “Tony?” He spins around with his glass in hand.

  It can’t be…

  “Mary…?”

  Against all odds standing right in front of him is none other than Mary Fitzpatrick. Unlike him she seems to have actually followed the dress code. Her dress is long and flowing straight down to her ankles. There’s one long slit down one side through which you can see her black tights. The back of her dress dips down to reveal more of her back than she usually would. Her hair is tied up loosely in a neat plait that hangs down her back loosely. 

  “What are you doing in America?” He sets his glass down on the side. Not once in her texts had she mentioned her coming back.

  Before his glass has even properly touched the counter top she’s running towards him. Her arms wrap around his neck, pulling him down to her level. Her hair gets in his face a bit but he doesn’t pull away. How long has it been since they last saw each other? Eight years?

  “I’m only staying for a month - arrived yesterday morning. I’ve been offered a new job here so I’m visiting to figure out whether I want to move back permanently.” She hums as she pulls away from him and join him at the bar.

  “No Richard?” He looks around for her shadow. They’d been living together in England ever since she left the country - it was strange for her to come here without him.

  “He’s staying in England with his girlfriend.” She sighs as she waves the bartender over.

  By now Tony would’ve thought they’d have actually gotten together. It had always seemed inevitable and judging by her texts, they’d been living together in England for years - practically dating already.

  “What about if you choose to move back here?”

  “Then he’d move over too - we were both offered positions. He would’ve come over too but his work is keeping him quite busy now.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t send a text about it.”

  “Ha! I knew you were still reading those.” She grins proudly - as if she’s won some kind of competition that Tony had no idea they were even having.

  “It’s hard not to read them. You send millions.”

  “I thought you would’ve changed your number or phone by now.” He doesn’t bother telling her that he has. That he keeps the old flip phone anyway. That she’s the only one who still texts him on that number. Or that it’s in his pocket right now.

  “I would’ve dropped by, you know. If I’d known you were living in Malibu now.” She says quietly, cradling her drink.

  All these years he’d known that she was still in close contact with Rhodey. Those two had never drifted apart. Not really. Being in the army had made Rhodey's visits incredibly rare for either of them but that didn’t mean her and Rhodey had stopped talking. Of course Rhodey knew where Tony had moved - he’d helped Tony move his stuff - so why didn’t Mary know where he lived. Had Rhodey not told her? 

  “Been here for years now - eight years give or take.” It’s strange to think it’s been so long. Since he’d last stepped foot in his childhood home. Doesn’t feel like more than a year in all honesty. Time just flies by.

  “It’s strange how things work out…” She mumbles but Tony doesn’t think she’s talking about Tony moving to Malibu.

  “What have you been up to then?”

  As they drink they catch up on everything they’ve done in the last eight years. Mostly she talks about her current projects that she’s working on. In truth, Tony already knows about all of this stuff. As much as he pretended not to care, he’d kept tabs on every research paper and scientific article that was printed about her. Nonetheless he lets her talk, preferring to hear about the work from the woman herself.

  Of course she also talks about her life living in London - although that takes up considerably less of the conversation. Although Richard crops up in almost every story - tightly intertwined with both her work and home life. Her constant. 

  In turn Tony talks about himself. Knowing that she probably keeps up with how the company is doing in the news, Tony instead chooses to talk about Pepper, Happy and Obie. His family as of late.

  Originally he hadn’t thought he’d have much to say but the more he talks the more he can think of to say. Tells her about how him and Pepper had met. Tells her about the late night Mc. Donalds trips and the first time Pepper joined him and Happy after a long trip back from a convention in Paris. None of it is anything that matters but it feels nice to actually talk about them. About his new little family. It’s not until he starts talking that he realises how much he cares about the two of them - Obie too. They’d become such a staple in his life. Something Mary and Rhodey had been wanting him to get for years. He even talks about how him, Happy and DUM-E and Butterfingers had worked on building the mansion together (the latter two with varying degrees of success).

  “You’ll have to show me around. Take me to your new house!” New found excitement sparks in her voice.

  “Anything would be better than this party.” Tony rolls his eyes. With the exception of Mary, Tony had been right in his assumptions about the guests. Almost everyone here are pompous old men. People just like the ones that sit on his company board. Not the sort of company Tony likes to keep.

  “It can’t be so bad…” She tries to sound positive but there’s nothing good to say about the party. No matter how hard she tries, “Come on, there’s got to be something interesting to do here.” She exclaims. As she jumps off of her bar stool she pulls Tony with her. Forcing both of them to stand up in front of the bar.

  With her new found vigour, she begins pulling Tony along beside her - desperate to find something more interesting to do. At this point they’re both incredibly drunk - probably more drunk that Tony would like to admit. Normally he doesn’t get properly drunk at these kinds of parties - saving that for house parties when he doesn’t need to drive anywhere afterwards. They’re going to have to get Happy to drive them home…whenever he turns up.

  As Mary drags him along he tries to scan the room for Happy to no avail. Where the hell could he be? Tony hadn’t been _that_ much faster than him. He must be here somewhere. Maybe exploring the building like Mary is suggesting will be a good way to find him. Hopefully.

  Despite the building being large, there isn’t actually that much to explore. Most of it is closed off from the rest of the party so only a few rooms are actually accessible to the guests. All of the rooms are completely packed with people as far as the eye can see. Nothing interesting to see in the slightest. With all the people filling up the room it’s impossible to even be able to look for Happy.

  As they walk past one of the sealed off doors Tony spots a familiar Hammer tech keypad being used to seal the doors. Seeing the subpar security system Tony gets an idea. He quietly pulls Mary over to the door, making sure no one is watching them. Mary frowns and looks between him and the door but stays completely quiet. Even when he begins fiddling with the lock she stays silent and watches.

  Just as expected, it only takes a few seconds to hack through the system and unlock the door so they can pass through. The keypad flashes green as the door opens ever so slightly. Why does anyone ever buy Hammer tech? Complete garbage 95% of the time.

  As quietly as possible, him and Mary slip through the door. They open the door as little as possible, trying not to draw any unwanted attention their way. Fortunately as usual everyone is too wrapped up in their own lives and conversations to pay Tony or Mary any heed.

  Beyond the door is an art gallery of sorts, filled floor to ceiling with pieces of art that are probably worth millions of dollars in total. It reminds him of the art collection Pepper has been putting together back in the mansion although it's pretty clear that Pepper has better taste than these people do.

  “Well now we can see why people would want to lock this room.” Mary whispers. Although there’s no one else around talking feels wrong. The room commands silence in a strange kind of way.

  Cautiously she tiptoes over to the nearest painting and examines it tentatively. It’s a landscape painting of a dark wooden cabin in the middle of a forest - a huge lake leading from the back of the cabin all the way out to the edge of the painting. A lone boat hovers on the surface of the water. It’s nothing particularly revolutionary but it’s peaceful. Calming. Probably the nicest piece in the room. 

  As Tony comes over to join her in front of the painting she shifts from foot to foot. SHe’s no longer looking at the painting. Watching Tony instead.

  “I missed you.” She whispers.

  “I know.”

  “You were my best friend and I didn’t see you for eight years.”

  “I know.”

  “That’s a long time.”

  “I’m sorry.” And he is. He knows how much of a shitty friend he is, he really does but she’d gotten too close. They both had - her and Rhodey. He relied on both of them too much. If either one of them had died he doesn’t know what he would’ve done. Then they’d both left. They’d found their own lives. They might not have died but they were gone.  And he’d been proven right. Everyone leaves in the end: Maria, Jarvis, Peggy, Mary, Rhodey - even Howard.

  “I know.” She mirrors him sadly. Part of him suspects that has always known why. That’s why she never fails to text him. Why she was reluctant to accept the job offer in London originally. She always had seen a little bit too much of him for his liking.

  Before Tony can say anything else she wraps her arms around his neck and holds him close. Her face is buried into his neck - covering her face from view. He quietly hugs her back, breathing in the nostalgic smell of lavender. He’d almost forgotten what she smelled like.

  “Best friend huh? What would Richard say?” Tony whispers. He’d always expected she thought of him as her best friend not Tony. He’d never been anyone’s best friend before. Not really. At least not to his knowledge.  

  “Shhh, don’t tell him. Don’t want him getting jealous.” She hisses into his neck. There’s no indication that she’s planning on letting go of him any time soon. He can feel her chuckling silently as she squeezes him even tighter.

  “You okay?” He whispers after a few seconds. She slowly lets go of him a little. She’s still hugging him but now her head isn’t resting on him anymore. Instead she’s looking up at him sadly. “I missed you too.” He whispers quietly, not quite wanting to admit it. He’d missed her more than he thought he would.

  “I know.” She chuckles. As she does so her eyes light up a little bit - regaining their former light. A bright ray of green in the slightly darkened room.

  He’d forgotten how green her eyes were. Like sunlight streaming through the tree canopy on a spring day. Bright while also vividly green.

  Before he really knows what he’s doing or why, he bends his head down to meet her. His lips find hers, pressing a gentle kiss onto her lips. Her eyes close as she presses closer to him, keeping him as close to her as possible. His arms tighten around her waist as she forces him even closer.

  Lavender is the only thing he can smell anymore. It’s strange - she even tastes like lavender.

  He’s not sure exactly what he was expecting but not this. He’s kissed a lot of people in his time but this feels different. Softer and more caring than he’s used to. Nothing like the desperate kisses he shares with his usual hook ups. 

  Just as Tony pulls away the gallery door opens and Happy steps into the room.

  “Tony!” He pants. He’s red faced and bent over so his hands rest on his knees.

  “Ah there you are - I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show up.” Tony says with a smirk. He lets go of Mary and steps closer to Happy.

  “You certainly didn’t make it easy.” He grumbles. He would’ve thought that Happy would be used to it by now. Yet every time he’s just as shocked and annoyed.

  “How did you find up by the way?” In all honesty, he’d kinda forgotten about Happy when he decided to break into the gallery. He hadn’t stopped to think about how they would find Happy so he could drive them back to the mansion.

  “I thought I saw someone sneak into this room. I decided to investigate it when I saw the lock was Hammer tech so figured you’d try and break into the room.” Happy says proudly. Of course Happy would investigate the door opening. He’s always been very big on security - always wanting to keep things secure and safe. Tony had been considering upgrading him from Bodyguard to the head of security.

  “You able to give us a lift back to the mansion?” Tony gestures to Mary who is now standing at his side once again. Happy frowns, not used to Tony asking to be driven anywhere but nods eagerly nonetheless.

  “Thank god - can’t wait to get out of this place. I've spent forever doing nothing but walking around and around in circles” He sighs with relief.

  “I’m Mary.” Mary holds her hand out for Happy to shake, “One of Tony’s friends from college.”

  “Happy Hogan.”

  “Tony’s told me a lot about you.”

  “He has?” Happy straightens up and holds his head up high.

  “Okay now - don’t get too excited.” Tony sighs halfheartedly.

  “Of course, sorry. I’ll get both of you back home safely.” Happy says and tries to comes across as more serious.

  Despite that he doesn’t stop grinning happily the whole drive home.

 

  When Tony wakes up the next morning his head is ringing loudly. Drinking so much at the party was probably a big mistake. He doesn’t even remember getting back to the mansion but he’s definitely in his bed.

  Sunlight streams in through the window and reflects off of the bright white bed sheets. One of his hands comes out from under the sheet to shield his eyes from the harsh sunlight.

  The sudden movement causes someone to stirr beside him. With his hand now partially shielding his eyes, he tilts his head to see Mary tucked up beside him.

  Slowly it begins to come back to him. Meeting her at the party. Catching up. Kissing her. And then coming back here. Perhaps not how he'd been expecting to spend the night but it was a pleasant surprise.

  As carefully as possible he prys her off of him so he can get up. Although she grumbles and tries to move closer, she doesn't wake up. Once he's free he cautiously slips out of bed and grabs a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before leaving the room.

  It's unnervingly quiet in the rest of the mansion. No sign of Happy or Pepper anywhere. Normally she's in by this point and Happy lives here. Unable to bare the silence he turns on the stereo to let the music run through the building.

  With the kitchen completely empty he begins searching the cupboards for eggs. There's plenty left in the container so he gets started making scrambled eggs.

  As usual the smell of food manages to summon Mary - or maybe it's because of the music rippling through the house. Instead of wearing her white dress from yesterday she's grabbed herself some of Tony's clothes. Probably more suitable and comfortable than that dress.

  She quietly prowls over to the breakfast bar and hops up onto the stool. Before Tony can stop her she grabs his plate of food and sticks her tongue out.

  “Can't you make your own food?” He scowls.

  “Nope. I prefer yours.” She smiles sweetly before stuffing her face with the eggs. Seems nothing’s changed on that front.

  By the time Tony has made himself some food Mary has already eaten. Nonetheless he takes a seat beside her. She hums quietly as he eats, playing with a strand of string that's lying on the countertop.

  Normally the morning after Tony would just hide away in his lab and leave Pepper to deal with the situation but here he was. Surprisingly it's not actually uncomfortable - he supposes they always did have an odd relationship.

  Just as Tony is finishing his breakfast Happy stumbles out of his room. He's in his pyjama top and boxer shorts - wandering around half asleep. It's not uncommon to have him wandering around like this in the morning but never when guests are around. He must've forgotten about Mary. 

  It's not until Happy stumbles into the kitchen that he notices Mary is sitting at the breakfast beside Tony. He comes to a screeching halt at the revelation and flushes bright red. If course Mary doesn't help the situation by grinning and waving mischievously.

  “I forgot you had company.” He hisses to Tony and attempts to smooth down his pyjama shirt.

  “She slept over last night.”

  “Oh I bet she did.” Happy mumbles playfully even though he's still burning red. Mary laughs loudly which appear to relax Happy somewhat.

  “Well I'm going to go and get dressed.” Happy grumbles and shamefully walks back down the corridor of guest rooms to find some clothes for himself.

  The sight of the corridor gives him an idea.

  “Where are you staying?” He only just realised he never asked her.

  “I've got a hotel room in town.” She mumbles thoughtfully. He wouldn't be surprised if she was paying for it herself. How much money did she even have? She'd left the US with next to nothing.

  “You should stay here. There's plenty of rooms - I don't tend to have guests.” She snorts knowingly.

  “Since you're offering, that would be very nice. You make better company that my current neighbours. I'm also fairly sure someone was murdered in my room…” She frowns thoughtfully, her mind drifting off to a completely different place.

  “Happy will drop you off at work if you need him to, won't you Hap?” He shouts out towards Happy’s room. They both wait in silence for his response.

  “What?” Happy’s voice echoes from a world away.

  “Thanks you’re the best.” She shouts back playfully, not waiting for Happy to actually respond. Judging by the confused grumble from down the hall, it only adds to Happy’s confusion.

  Later that day Mary comes back from her hotel room with her luggage in hand. Although she puts her luggage in one of the spare rooms, she ends up spending the night in his room again. They never do anything more than sleep but it’s nicer than he’d like to admit to sleep next to her again. A small piece of the past they’ve recovered.

  Pepper finally reappears the next day. She just appears in his lab like she always does with a list of unread emails and event invites he needs to respond to. Tony wants to ask Pepper why she didn't come in the day before but decides not to. She's earnt herself a day off anyway. 

  While she’s in the middle of listing them all Mary enters the lab. He hasn’t actually programmed her biometrics into the system but she is in anyway. He’ll have to ask her about that some time.

  “Oh, hi…” Mary mumbles seeing Pepper stood in front of Tony.

  “Hi, I’m Pepper - Tony’s assistant.” Pepper introduces herself politely with an uncertain smile.

  “Mary, one of Tony’s friends. He offered for me to stay for a month until I need to go back to England.”

  “Ah, Mary. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Tony frowns at that. As far as he can remember he’s never mentioned her before. Where would she have heard about Mary? It’s not until he remembers Rhodey does he realise his friend must’ve been spilling college stories to Happy and Pepper. God he is going to kill him one day.

  “I hope I’m not intruding.” Mary bites her lower lip and gestures to the door she just came through.

  “It’s fine. I was just catching Tony up on things.” Pepper smiles genuinely, “I look forward to getting to know you better over the month.”

  “Same here.” Mary’s smile is mischevious - the cogs already turning in her mind.

  Later that very day Tony finds them both in the living room with champagne glasses. He can’t hear what they’re saying but both of them are giggling more than Tony is comfortable with…

  “What are you talking about?”

  “She was just telling me about the time in college when you walked into the wrong lecture hall.” Pepper explains laughing loudly. Her laughter is contagious - making Mary laugh so loudly she snorts.

  “Oh great…” He remembers that time. He'd stayed up all weekend working on a project he doesn't even remember anymore and had been completely delirious when he left for his lecture. He'd walked into the middle of an arts lecture and proceeded to fall asleep on the desk only to start snoring and disrupt the entire lecture. They'd attempted to wake him up to no avail and in the end Rhodey had to come in and wake him up.  

  “It’s not like he’s changed much - once he fell asleep in one of the board meetings. Obadiah was furious for a whole month afterwards." Pepper laughs. Okay maybe he did have a problem with falling asleep at inconvenient times...

  "Have you just been exchanging stories about me?" Tony grumbles.

  "Yup." Mary laughs mischievously.

  It seems Tony needs to stop introducing Pepper to his childhood friends...not that there's any left for him to introduce her to now.

  As time goes on it becomes pretty clear that their friendship is here to stay. As annoying as the story swapping is - it's nice to see them getting along. Expanding their little family slightly more. At least if Mary has other friends around the mansion Tony doesn't need to worry about being a bad host by locking himself in his lab to work - not that Mary actually spends a great deal of time around the mansion. Most of her time is spent around the nearby cities or at work. Trying to decide if she wants to move out here permanently. 

  As Christmas rolls around Tony begins working himself harder than ever. It’s hard to think about things when he’s neck deep in work. Unlike with most people, December is his most productive month for that reason alone. With the mansion completely empty during Christmas week he’s able to get even more done than usual.

  He’s so buried in his work he doesn’t even consider the possibility he won’t be alone this Christmas. All this time he’s been working under the assumption that Mary would be going up to spend Christmas with the Parkers like she usually does and Pepper would be going to her boyfriend’s to celebrate. So when he finds not only Pepper and Mary in the kitchen on the morning of Christmas Eve but also Rhodey and the rest of the Rhodes family he’s completely caught off guard.

  He hasn’t slept in two days and is still dressed in his messy lab clothes. Everyone in the room has seen him in worse states but he can’t help but wish he’d had a little more warning.

  “He’s finally left his cave.” Rhodey smirks. Before Tony can really make sense of the situation, he walks straight over and forces into a bear hug. Tony hugs him back tightly, trying to process the situation. It’s not uncommon for Rhodey to pop around near Christmas but never this close to actual Christmas day. Certainly never with the rest of the Rhodes clan.

  “What are you doing here?” Tony frowns as soon as Rhodey has let go of him.

  “To celebrate Christmas!” Rhodey’s little sister Jeanette exclaims. Last time he saw her she was still only thirteen so it’s strange to see her completely grown up. Makes him realise how much time has passed.

  “Here?” Tony frowns. No one had mentioned any of this to him. Not even in a text.

  “Yup.” Mary says from her seat at the breakfast bar.

  “I invited them all. We can all have Christmas together.” Pepper walks over and hands him a mug of coffee, bringing the other mugs over to the rest of the Rhodes family. Their bags are still in the living room by each of their feet.

  “Thank you so much dear.” Roberta says as she takes a sip of her coffee. Rhodey’s mother was one of the nicest people Tony had the good fortune of meeting. It’s surprisingly nice to see her once again after all these years. While they’d been in MIT she was almost like a second mother to him and Mary. Taking care of them every Christmas and during the holidays when they all stayed in Queens.

  “You’re welcome Mrs. Rhodes.” Pepper says politely.

  “Wait...are you staying for Christmas too?” Tony frowns looking at Pepper. Never in the five years Tony had known her has she ever stayed for Christmas.

  “We all are.”

  By all it turns out she really means _all_. An hour later there's a knock at the door and the entire Parker family files into the house. And when it really is the entire family. It’s not just Richard, his parents and Ben - it’s also Ben’s new wife: a woman named May.

  Mary had mentioned May in a few of her text messages but actually meeting her is an entirely different thing. In his mind Ben is still the same kid who used to run around the zoo or the park with them every holiday. Now just like Jeanette he’s fully grown and married - already further along in his life than Tony somehow.

  “It’s great to see you again Tony!” Richard exclaims as he steps into the living room, “It’s been years.” Thankfully he doesn’t move to hug Tony or even hold out his hand as he greets Tony. The guy always had been good at reading people. Mary and him were similar in that department.

  “It’s nice to see you too.”

  Thankfully a little time in the shower and a pair of clothes later Tony manages to get rid of the squatting hobo look. In the spirit of Christmas Pepper has found them all festive clothes to wear which apparently means Tony now has to wear a bright red itchy jumper for the entirety of the day - not something he was particularly looking forward too. At least it isn’t as bad as Rhodey’s jumper which is mustard yellow and looks more like cat piss than anything else. It's going to have to be burnt before Christmas is over.

  It's lucky that when designing the mansion Tony had left lots of space for guest rooms which as of now had gone unused. With a full house of twelve people, each and every one of the guest rooms is in use for the first time. Even the dining table isn’t quite long enough for all of them to fit, an issue Tony had never realised he had. Once the Christmas season is over Tony’s going to have to buy a new table in case something like this ever happens again.

  Fortunately though, the breakfast bar is more than long enough for all of them to fit around. There might be a lack of stools but it’s quickly sorted out as some of the taller people (Rhodey and his dad) grab the dining chairs to sit on. It’s not perfect but nobody's complaining. Especially not when Roberta sets the huge pan of spaghetti on the table. It’s not exactly a traditional Christmas Eve meal but it’s tradition enough for them.

  While they’d been in MIT Roberta would always make the Christmas Eve meal and Kara (Richards mom) would do the traditional Christmas dinner. While Roberta wasn’t always the best chef, the one thing she could make better than anyone was Spaghetti Bolognese so that’s what she made. Every time. Although the others used to jokily complain about the strangeness of the traditions, Tony had loved it. Italian food always was his favourite.

  Although the other stay up late talking and drinking in the one of the drawing rooms, Tony goes off straight to bed. Knowing the Parker family they’ll all be up and awake at a ridiculously early time tomorrow morning and he’d like to actually get some sleep. Especially since he hasn’t slept in ages.

  As soon as his head touches the pillow he falls asleep. There are no dreams this time. Just the blackness. For the first time that blackness doesn’t feel totally empty though. Not the void it used to feel like. It’s actually almost pleasant. Certainly better than the dreams where he has to see Jarvis and Maria again. Anything is better than them. Even the void is.

  Before he knows it his alarm is blaring in his ears. One of his hands tries to slap the alarm clock off so he can doze off but someone must’ve snuck into his room and moved the alarm clock in the night because now it's all the way on the dressing table across the room. They also must’ve turned the volume up because it’s practically blaring in his ears despite being across the room.

  Reluctantly he gets up out of bed and turns off the alarm. He knows he could go back to bed and sleep in some more but if he does that then Mary, Pepper or Rhodey will just come in with a bucket of ice water or some other horrendous form of torture. No, it’s safer to just get up and go along with the ridiculous tradition. One he’ll never get used to even if they force him into it every year for the rest of his life.

  As usual, almost everyone is already up and ready when Tony gets out. In fact the only one not out is Jeanette but she’s always been the laziest one out of all of them.

  At least someone is getting their morning lie in.

  Mary is leaning against Richard on one of the sofas. Her hair is tied up messily in a ponytail and is ever so slightly brushing against his face but neither of them seem bothered in the slightest. 

  There's enough sofa space for all of them to sit on the sofa's but Jeanette and Rhodey are both sat on the floor by the piano chatting to one another anyway. THeir parents are on the other side of the room, sharing a couch with Kara and John separated from all of their kids.

  Somehow the only one who looks as tired as Tony feels is May. Her head is lying in Ben’s lap as she curls up around him. Despite how hard she’s trying to stay awake for his sake any second now she’s going to fall asleep. It’s nice to not be the only one struggling though. To have someone else who finds this whole tradition a nightmare.

  Slowly Tony wakes up, becoming more and more lucid with every hour. By the time Obie shows up he’s almost actually awake. Someone clearly hadn’t given him the memo about the timings or just hadn’t wanted him around as he doesn’t show up until midday just as Kara is in the middle of cooking Christmas dinner.

  With another person in the mix they have to get another chair from the dining room to fit everyone. Much to Obie’s dismay they make him take the seat since he’s the new arrival. After complaining for a while he stays quiet and just lives with it.

  As dinner is being served he notices Mary and Richard holding hands under the table. Smirking, he wiggles his eyebrows at her. She blushes ever so slightly and grins back at him. Between this and them cuddling earlier things seem to be changing slightly for them. Guess it depends on whatever has been happening with Richard and his girlfriend.

  Looking down the breakfast bar Tony sees the huge group of people laughing and exchanging stories as the tuck into their food. Families. His family...

 

  Quietly he smiles.

 

  One week before Mary is supposed to leave Tony is down in the lab. DUM-E and Butterfingers suddenly stop what they're doing to race over to the lab door as it slides open to let Mary in. What even is the point of having them help out when they drop out of the task at the first sign of Mary or Rhodey?

  “Tony.” She mumbles nervously, ignoring DUM-E and Butterfingers completely.

  “What is it?” He mumbles as he turns back to his work.

  “No. We need to _talk_.” She moves to sit in front of him - directly in his line of sight.

  Nothing good ever starts with those words.

  “Okay…” He sets the spanner down on the workbench and looks up at her. Her clasped hands are resting on the workbench.

  “It’s been over a month and a half since my last period.” She bites her bottom lip. Wait...Is she…

  “What are you trying to say…” He frowns. It can’t be…

  “I think you know.” She whispers quietly. 

  “Are you sure?” Everything goes completely quiet. Even DUM-E and Butterfingers don't chirp or beep.

  “I took a test this morning…”

  “Shit.” He hisses, “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to keep it.” She says with complete and utter confidence. “What are you going to do?” The question he'd been dreading.

  “I can’t be a dad! You’ve seen me. That’s not who I am.”

  Panic begins to rise. He can’t be a dad. He _can’t_! How are you even supposed to do those things? It’s not like he has any experience in that area. If he tried he’d just fuck it up. Fuck _them_ up. There's not a child in the world that deserves that. He already knows he'd be just as bad as Howard. There's no way he'd do that to a child - not even his. 

  “I beg to differ.” The words carry the same confidence she had earlier. Misplaced confidence. 

  “Clearly you’re looking at a different person.” He snorts - still feeling the panic rising. Threatening to crush him.

  “I don’t think I am.” She smiles softly but she isn’t looking at him. Instead she’s looking down at Butterfingers and DUM-E who are still buzzing around near his feet.

  “I’m going to stay here in America. I was planning on accepting the job offer anyway.” She announces after a few minutes of quiet. 

  “You need to stay here?” He clears his throat. There's no way he's letting her leave if she doesn't have somewhere else to go - even if it is for longer than the one month she was originally going to stay for. It's not like space is lacking in anyway.

  “At least until I find a place of my own.” She nods slowly, distracted by her own thoughts.

  “You can stay as long as you need.”

  For a while he can almost forget that Mary is pregnant. There doesn’t seem to be much of a difference. They decide to keep it quiet. For a little while anyway. Even from Richard. That had been her call not his. How she explains why she isn't returning to England he has no idea but whatever she says is clearly convincing enough.

  That doesn’t last for long though. A month later Mary appears in his lab once again. She doesn't bother waiting to one side and instead jumps straight into it.

  “I need you to take me to the hospital.” She declares and grabs one of his apples from the bowl on the side.

  “Why me? Why can't you just get Happy to take you?”

  “Firstly, Happy doesn't know yet. Secondly, I'd rather you took me. As nice as Happy is, he gets incredibly stressed and is almost too nice and polite. Besides, I'd rather not be in the actual doctors office alone.” She talks even though she's just taken a huge bite out of the apple.

  “Okay then. When do you need to go?” He wipes his hands off with an oily cloth which he quickly chucks to one side.

  “Right now.” She mumbles with her mouth still full. Of course she needs to leave right now. She always did like waiting till the last moment to ask for anything - he could tell if it was so the other person couldn't say no or whether she just wants to put off asking as long as possible. It could easily be either of the two.

  “Okay okay. Let me just grab a hat.” He grabs a hat from one side which, when pulled down conceals a large part of his face. No one is going to find out about this child if he has anything to do with it. He'd hate for Mary and the baby to live that kind of life. The hat might not do all that much but it's a huge improvement from before. The nearby hospital is quite small anyway so there's less chance of anyone spotting him or catching him on camera.

  Once he's ready he drives her all the way down to the hospital. To try and avoid suspicion they take Tony's most basic and cheap car. The one he uses when he's trying to go completely unnoticed. It's hardly ever used but is perfect for times like this.

  Parking is a nightmare as usual - apparently Sundays are a popular day to go to the hospital. Part of him just wants leave the parking area and try and search for parking elsewhere but then they'd have to walk and would definitely be late to the appointment. Fortunately a car quickly leaves, freeing up a spot for them.

  As soon as they get out of the car he let's Mary take over with the directions. Unlike him she actually knows where they're supposed to be going and how to get there. Information Tony is apparently not required to know. Blindly following people is one of his least favourite things so he's glad when they finally come to a stop outside a doctors office. Now at least he knows where they're headed.

  Other people are scattered about the waiting room but it's not clear whether they're waiting for the same thing as Tony and Mary. Hopefully not because if he has to wait for all these people before being seen then he’ll die of boredom.

  “Mary Fitzpatrick?” A doctor comes out from one of the offices with a large clipboard in hand.

  At the sound of her name, she quickly jumps up and begins moving towards the Doctor. When he notices her moving towards him he breaks into a smile and moves to one side to make it easier for her qns Tony to get into the office.

  When they're inside the office Tony begins to tune out. They're discussing something to do with babies and reproduction but Tony can't be bothered to pay attention to everything they're saying. It's not until Mary hops up onto the bed that he really begins to pay attention. What's supposed to be happening now?

  She pulls up her shirt to expose her now slightly bloated stomach. As she does so, the doctor grabs an ultrasound transducer and gel ready to scan the baby. He should've known that's what they were here for.

  “This is going to be a bit cold at first but you'll get used to it. It'll produce a scan of the child.” Mary nods as the doctor runs through the explanation, managing to somehow stay interested.

  Gently, the doctor presses the gelled transducer against her abdomen. Once he's in place he carefully moves the transducer across the the skin surface. As he does so a small image that's completely black and white is produced on the screen.

  “Look here.” The doctor points at the display screen where the image is being projected.

  It's hardly visible, just a mess of black and white patches. At first you can hardly see it's a baby.

  Then the image clears up ever so slightly - just enough so the shape becomes distinguishable. There's a head with a little nose visible amongst all the black and white patches.

  Something clearly human in the scan.

  An actual child…

  Their child...

 

  Both of them know they’re eventually going to have to talk to people about the baby. With every day she just keeps getting bigger. She was so small before she got pregnant that every extra bit of weight stands out like a sore thumb. Honestly he’s kind of surprised no one figured it out earlier. It’s not until Pepper sees Mary run out of the room to throw up that she begins to question anything.

  “Is she doing okay?” Pepper shuffles along the sofa until she’s sat beside Tony.

  “She’s okay - just feeling a bit sick.” Tony tries to brush it off but Pepper doesn’t budge an inch.

  “Are you sure? She’s been like this for a while. Maybe we should take her to the doctors…” She bites her lower lip as she watches the bathroom door.

  “We’ve been already.” Tony takes a sip of his coffee.

  “You have?” Happy frowns from the next couch over. Tony hadn’t realised he was even following the conversation. He’d been so focused on Downton Abbey that he hadn’t seemed to even notice Mary leave the room.

  “Yeah, we went a few days ago.”

  His mind flicks back to the image of the baby on the ultrasound. The doctor had given both of them a copy of the image to take home. While Mary had pinned it up on her bedroom wall, Tony had hidden his in a notebook in the lab. Close but out of sight.

  “What did they say?” Pepper frowns, “She’s okay right?”

  “They didn’t say anything. Everything is fine.” Tony takes another long sip of his coffee. It’s kinda cold now but he couldn’t care less. He’d just like this conversation to be over.

  “She’s my friend too Tony. You can tell me if there’s something wrong with either of you.” Her hand moves to rest on his. She smiles sadly, pleading with him.

  They’re interrupted as Mary makes a reappearance. Her eyes flicker over Happy and Pepper who are watching her nervously. When her eyes finally meet Tony’s she nods slowly.

  Here goes nothing.

  “She’s pregnant.” Tony bites the inside of his cheek.

  “She’s what?” Happy gasps and sits up straight. While all of his attention is focused on Mary, Pepper is only looking at Tony.

  “Yours right.”

  “Wait what?” Happy gasps again and sets his mug on the coffee table as he rapidly looks between Mary and Tony.

  “How far along?” Pepper turns to Mary this time. She politely shuffles over to give Mary a spot to sit beside her. Mary sits down gratefully, downing her glass of water which had been waiting on the coffee table.

  “A bit over 2 months now.” Mary says confidently. Her free hand rests on her belly where she makes small circles with her thumb.

  “The party…” It suddenly dawns on Happy.

  “It was a one time thing but that was enough.”

  “Have you told Richard yet?” Mary shakes her head. No matter how much she keeps saying she’s waiting for the right moment he doesn’t believe it. Not for a second.

  “So wait, does that mean we’re the first ones you’ve told?” Happy chirps in gleefully, “I feel so honoured!” He grins cheesily and hugs Mary tightly. Mary hugs him back tightly, grinning happily.

  Once he’s finally let go of her and backed off, Pepper shuffles closer. She takes one of Mary’s hands and puts on her serious business face. It’s nice to see her using on on someone except Tony for a change.

  “You have to tell him.”

  “I know.” She nods slowly.

  That very evening she calls him. It definitely had to be done. He was scheduled to be coming to the US in a few weeks anyway. The apartment him and Mary were going to move into would be theirs within three weeks - it’s not like she was going to be able to hide it from him.

  Once the initial shock has worn off he promises he’ll get an early plane over in a few days. Of course, Tony offers him a room while him and Mary have to wait for their apartment to be available to move in. Instead of sending Happy to pick him up like they would usually do, Mary drives over on her own to pick him up. It gives them a bit of space alone before they come back to the mansion which is slowly getting more packed. Especially since Rhodey is coming over to shout at them for not telling him about the situation.

  "I can't believe you didn't tell me Tones!" He grumbles as soon as he arrives but his happiness is impossible to hide, "How was I the fourth person you told! I'm supposed to be your best friend!" Best friend...? Rhodey considers him his best friend? He'd never realised Rhodey cared about him so much. He'd always been like a brother to Tony but it was different actually hearing it from the 

  "We hadn't exactly planned out who we were going to tell." Tony rolls his eyes. If they'd been planning it out Richard would certainly have been the first one they told.

  "Still...!" He grumbles, pouting slightly.

  "At least you get to be Uncle Rhodey." Mary points out, trying to earn back some brownie points. 

  "Damn right I do. I'm gonna spoil my little niece or nephew so much." He exclaims happily as he gently presses a hand against Mary's womb. 

  "Nephew. It's going to be a boy." Mary announces without any hesitation or uncertainty.

  "Did the doctor tell you?" Rhodey asks, keeping his hand resting on her belly.

  "No but I know it is. I can tell."

  In the end it all goes over smoother with everyone than Tony had been expecting. Even Richard doesn’t seem all that bothered. At first he assumes it’s because of the girlfriend Mary mentioned but apparently he broke up with her weeks and weeks ago. Maybe even before Christmas - it's not clear exactly when.

  It turns out the one with the most severe reaction is Pepper of all people. He can’t decide whether telling her was the best or worst decision he made. At first it seems as if she isn’t going to do anything about the situation until she busts into his lab one day with huge booklet that is daunting before he’s even found out what’s inside it.

  “You’re going to learn all of this off by heart within the next few months.” She announces. Not caring that Tony is working, she drops the booklet directly in front of it. Cautiously he begins fanning through the pages.

  “What is it?” He mumbles, scan reading one of the pages. There’s a map in the middle of the page. A highlighter has been used to mark out a driving route across the map with the hospital marked down as the destination.

  “A booklet of everything you need to know to help Mary. The birthing procedure. Directions to the hospital. What you need to pack. How to take care of a baby. I’m not letting you be useless in this regard.” She says definitively.

  _How is the booklet this long?_

  “All of this.” He arches one eyebrow.

  “All of it.” She states firmly. Not budging an inch. 

  It’s not just him she’s ‘ _helping_ ’ out. When he walks in on Pepper and Mary doing yoga and talking softly in the living room he realises Mary has also been taken under her wing. Every time he wakes up early he finds the pair of them running through yoga routines in front of the window as the sunrises. Certainly sounds nicer than being forced to read hundreds of pages of instructions and information in the form of one huge booklet.

  As annoying as the booklet is, it does end up having some useful information. Just like it says in the book,she quickly begins having some...interesting cravings.

  “Chili?”

  “Chili.”

  “Like the hot spicy peppers?” Mary had always had a terrible tolerance for spicy foods. It had become a game in MIT where they’d try to get her to eat whole chili peppers - not that they ever managed it.

  “Exactly.”

  “Are you sure?” He frowns. He’d always liked spice personally so he was glad she was actually going to allow them to cook spicy dinners now but he wasn’t convinced. The last thing he needed was everyone on his arse for giving her chillies.

  “Certain.” She says fiercely as she shovels cheerios into her mouth. It’s 2am but it’s not like Tony has a particularly great eating or sleeping schedule either. They can keep one another company through their insomnia.

  For dinner the next day he makes sure to add lots of chillies - as per her request. All five of them watch nervously as she takes her first bite. Surprisingly there’s absolutely no reaction. It’s as if she’s not even eating the same food as them.

  After that almost all her dinners contain a chili in some way or another. As weird as it is, it’s not exactly doing any harm. As time goes on she starts eating more and more - building up an incredible tolerance to the stuff. Since she lives with Richard in their apartment, Tony avoids most of these spicy dinner meals but Richard ends up being forced to eat each and every one with her. He almost feels sorry for the guy.  

  Although Richard is doing his best to support her through every aspect of the pregnancy, his job requires a fair amount of travelling. When they first moved back in together he offered to try and convince their new work place to give him a job that doesn't require as much travelling but Mary shut that down very quickly. Didn't want him not doing the job he loves because of this. However it does mean that there are lots of mornings when Mary appears in the mansion out of the blue - not wanting to stay alone in her apartment.  

  “Richard asked me out on a date.” Mary announces from the breakfast bar. Unlike him, she’d actually woken up early today so she’d eaten, gotten dressed and driven over to the mansion all before Tony had even gotten out of bed. She’d even come into his bedroom to drag him out of bed.

  “What did you say?”

  “I don’t know...what do you think?”

  “I think you two have been dancing around each other for years. Why wouldn’t you say yes?” He was still surprised they’d never gotten together while they were both in England. Both him and Rhodey had thought it was inevitable.

  “Because of this.” She points to her swollen belly. Their child.

  Tony sighs as he sets the frying pan down on one of the hobs that is off. With the food not in danger of being burnt, he turns around to face her.

  “You shouldn’t say no because of what happened between us. We were never going to normal anyway right? You just moved in with him again so I don’t see why you dating him would change anything. You’ve practically been dating him for years anyway.” She looks up at him uncertainly. She nods slightly as she processes what he’s saying.

  Neither of them had talked about their love lives. Although Tony hadn’t hooked up with anyone since Mary, they both knew that wouldn’t mean he was never going to hook up with anyone ever again. It’s not like either of them actually wanted a relationship with one another. But Richard and Mary were a different story.

  “Okay…” Her nod has become decisive and clear. She’s stopped ringing her hands as she look over the counter top at Tony.

  “I love you, you know.” She adds once he’s turned around to continue cooking his food.

  “I love you too.” He replies quietly, surprising even himself. He does love her. Maybe not like most people with a kid do but he does love her.

  She’s family. And she always will be.

  Even with her own house and boyfriend back home, Mary continues to spend a lot of time around the mansion. Normally she lets herself in and joins him in the lab while he's working.

  As she gets bigger and bigger he decides to invest in a sofa for the lab. It's systematically placed so it has the best view of the lab and is close to the spot where Tony normally works. Although it's for Mary at first, Tony soon begins using it too when she's not around. He should've invested in a sofa years ago. He'd always had one in his old house but it wasn't something that he'd carried through into this lab - despite it being bigger and generally better furnished.

  Sometimes she joins him while he's working but other times she’s perfectly happy on the sofa. Despite DUM-E and Butterfingers being set up to help Tony out they normally join Mary. As usual she happily obliges them and spends hours throwing balls for the pair of them as they dash chaotically about the work space.

  “Tony, come over here.” She shouts out. The ball lays forgotten to one side as her hands press against her ever-growing belly.

  Once he's finished with the section he was doing he sets the tools down and makes his way towards her. As soon as he gets close enough she grabs a hold of his hands and places them on her belly. Frozen he stays stood. There trying to figure out what's supposed to be happening.

  Suddenly he feels a movement under his hand. A kick. After a few seconds it happens again. And again. He'd heard that you could feel the baby kicking but it was a complete other thing feeling it yourself.

  “He's a little kicker.” She hums and let's go of his hand. Even without her hand holding his onto the belly he stays frozen in place.

  For the first time it dawns on him that this thing is alive. Actually properly alive. Able to move. Able to kick. His child.

  As soon as Mary leaves that evening Tony sets aside his other projects. This child is alive. One day it's going to be born and Tony is going to be a dad. Although he might not know anything about being a dad and what that means, he does know how to build things.

  So that's what he does.

  He sits down at his desk and gets working on building something. Something that can help protect the baby when Tony can't. A guide. Someone to be there for the baby.

  And he already knows what it's going to be called.

  J.A.R.V.I.S

  It takes longer than Tony would've liked to make J.A.R.V.I.S. In fact by the time he's finished Mary is almost full term. She's finally taken her maternity leave and is mostly hanging about the mansion when Richard is away at work.

  At this point she's not really in any fit state to help in the lab but she comes down with him anyway. If nothing else, the bots appreciate her company.

  “I wanna show you something.” He announces as she comes down into the lab that day.

  “Okay.” She grins excitedly and carefully takes a seat on the sofa.

  “J.A.R.V.I.S, turn off the lights.” He calls out into the room. After a second all of the lights silently turn off.

  “As you wish sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S’ voice rings through the lab. It's the first time he's actually heard the AI speak with the voice Tony gave him. Although a part of him breaks, another part is built up. There's still a part of Jarvis right here with him. A part of Jarvis will be with his child when it's born. To protect him and guide him just like Jarvis did for Tony.

  “J.A.R.V.I.S, what's your primary initiative?” He asks, waiting for J.A.R.V.I.S’ answer.

  “My primary initiative is to protect and guide your child once it is born.” J.A.R.V.I.S responds without any hesitation.

  “Is that…?” Mary mumbles as her eyes stare up at the ceiling.

  “An AI. A proper one this time. He's hooked up to the entire mansion at all times.”

  “That's amazing Tony! I can't believe you actually did it.”

  “He's got a long way to go and a lot of learning to do before he's complete but he's a fully functioning AI.”

  “I will endeavour to do my best to assist you and the child whenever possible.” J.A.R.V.I.S addresses Mary directly for the first time.

  “Thank you.” She mumbles softly.

  “It's strange…I can feel and sense the child as if they were already alive…” J.A.R.V.I.S mutter to himself. Processing what he's learning and trying to extract as much information as possible for the environment.

  “That's because he is. He’s got a heartbeat and fingernails and working lungs already. He might as well already be alive." Mary explains patiently.

  “You said he. Is the child a male?” JARVIS asks thoughtfully.

  They still hadn't found out definitively what the gender is but Mary is convinced it’s a boy. Has been since the moment she realised she was pregnant.

  “We haven't been told but I just know he's a little boy.”

  “Would you like to hear his heartbeat?” J.A.R.V.I.S asks curiously.

  “You can do that?” Her hands drift to her belly gently.

  “I can.” As soon as he says those words a quiet thud fills the room. It's soft and deep but it's clearly a heartbeat.

  Although her hands stay firmly pressed against her belly, she looks up to stare around the room. Her eyes shimmer bright green as they catch in the sun. Slowly her mouth curves up into a smile and she laughs loudly.

  “Hello little one.” She whispers and holds her belly tighter.

  Every heartbeat sounds like a declaration.

 

  Alive.

 

  Alive.

 

  Alive.

 

  Just over two weeks before the baby's due date, Richard leaves town. While Mary has a job here in Malibu, Richards is very travel oriented. Try as he might he just couldn't get out of going on the trip. He leaves with the promise that he’ll be back in a weeks time but it doesn't really make Tony or Mary feel any better. After all, out of the three of them he's the most prepared.

  With him gone Mary moves back into the mansion and brings the truck load of baby supplies with her. Who knew babies needed so much stuff? There stacks of nappies and bottles stacked up in bags along with tubs of formula ad suitcases full of clothes. A fair amount of the stuff is courtesy of Pepper who is happily using the card Tony gave her to provide them with whatever they need. Where Mary and Richard are going to keep all this crap he has no idea.

  A few days later Mary wakes up in pain. It doesn't seem ridiculously bad but it's enough to worry them both. Is this supposed to happen? It's impossible to tell whether you're supposed to go to the hospital over something like this.

  As usual she is forced to spend the morning seated firmly in the sofa with her feet propped up. Some shitty soap opera is playing in the background but she's not really watching it.

  If he could he'd be down in the lab but that doesn't really seem to be an option. With these sparks of pain occurring at random intervals there's no real opportunity for him to take a break in the lab. So instead he's resigned to attempting to watch the shitting soap opera with Mary.

  Slowly things seem to be somewhat calming down. In fact he almost tricks himself into believing whatever it was has passed harmless by but of course he had to go jinx it.

  “Shit. My water broke.” Mary hisses.

  “What?!”

  “I’m going into labour.” She bends over and grips onto her belly.

  “No, it's two weeks early. Are you sure?” He panics, trying to figure out what the best course of action is. They need to start heading down to the hospital as soon as possible. 

  “I'm sure.” SHe hisses through gritted teeth.

  “What do I do?” He quickly moves over to her and lets her lean on him so she can stand up with his help. As the pain dies away she starts standing up slightly more, using him as a crutch. 

  “You need to drive me to the hospital.”

  “But what about Richard? He's still away, he won't be back till Friday!” He was supposed to be here for all of this stuff. Pepper should've been here too. Of course the ones with all the actual knowledge are gone when they're needed. 

  “Well I don't think he's going to want to wait to come out.” She grumbles and rolls her eyes.

  “Shit. Okay. Let me help you go the car.” He carefully wraps one of her arms around his neck so he's supporting her weight. She leans against him weakly, letting him completely support her. It's a damn good thing working in the lab requires good muscle mass.

  As carefully as possible he leads her out through the mansion towards the garage. What used to seem like a short leisurely walk is suddenly an arduous trek.

  When they finally get to the garage Tony rushes towards Mary's car. As much as he loves his cars they're not exactly great for this situation. Maybe he should buy a new car. One with a car seat and space for more than two passengers.

  Mary doesn't complain as he opens the door and cautiously guides her into it. Once she's seated he closes the passenger door and makes a beeline for the driver's seat. Even in her condition she's perfectly capable of putting on her seat belt. Right now he just needs to focus on getting her to someone who actually knows what they're doing.

  God he's glad Pepper made Tony run through all this shit before hand. Just another thing he needs to thank her for some day. At least now he knows the quickest route to the hospital. This way he doesn't need to fumble around with directions. It's also great that the baby bag is already packed and sat in the back seat - ready for this situation. 

  They can’t get to the hospital fast enough. Every second spent in traffic feels like an hour. Too slow. Everyone is too slow. It's the worst time to be stuck in traffic. While they're sat in the traffic Tony grabs his hat and sunglasses, trying to cover his face as much as possible. Luckily his beard is slightly more overgrown than usual which goes a fair way in disguising him. Hopefully it's enough to hide Peter's existence from the media. 

  Part of him just wants to ramp up the speed way past the speed limit to try and get to the hospital but that wouldn't solve anything. This entire situation is stressful enough without adding speeding into the mix.

  Getting to the hospital is a huge relief. He definitely wouldn't have been able to stand much more of that. In that moment it feels as if they've finished. They've succeeded. But of course that isn't what happened. No, now they have to actually deliver the child. His child.

  “Hi, this is Mary Fitzpatrick. She’s gone into labour but she’s 2 weeks early.” Tony says as calmly as possible. Nothing is going to be solved by losing his head.

  The doctors and nurses begin to take over. They prepare Mary for the birth leaving him mostly alone.

  He's in the eye of the storm as the harsh, unforgiving tornado swirls all around him.

  “You coming in?” The nurse asks as she props the door open.

  Through the crack of the door he can see Mary on the bed. She’s changed out of her clothes into a sterile blue hospital gown. Sweat sticks her hair to her forehead as her hand clutches at the metal railing of the bed.

  He hadn’t been planning on going in. As far as he was concerned, the plan had always been that Richard would go into the hospital room with her. After all, he was her boyfriend. While Tony might be the father, he wasn’t the sort of person you wanted in the hospital room. What was he even supposed to do? But seeing her now, like that...one of his oldest friends - arguably his best friend - alone and in pain. She’s been right there with him after his parents died. Now she was the one alone and afraid and hurting. And he was a fucking useless as ever.

  “Yeah…” He mumbles and slips into the room quietly. The nurse smiles softly and pats his shoulder tenderly.

  Everything seems to kick straight into action. Tony is left in the dust - stumbling to try and figure out what he’s supposed to be doing.

  Uncertainly he shuffles over to Mary’s side and takes her hand. It’s sweaty and hot but he doesn’t let go. Not even when her grip gets painfully strong. As pathetic and useless as it feels, it appears to calm her somewhat. Her breathing slows slightly as she regains some semblance of control.

  The next few hours are a mess. Honestly he hardly remembers the majority of it. While everyone else was busy making sure everything is running smoothly. If he could do more then he would. But there's nothing he can build to help right now. No magical technology to deal with the situation for him.

  Just him and Mary.

  So he holds onto her hand and smooths down her hair. He gently massages the edge of her hand with his thumb. He does his best to say whatever he can because it's all he can do. All he knows.

  When it's finally over, the situation still hasn't quite hit him. Not even when he hears the baby, _his_ baby, cry for the first time does it hit him. It's just another scene from another person’s life. Not his life. Not his family.

  He watches curiously as the tiny bundle is gently handed over to Mary. Of course it's small. Certainly didn't win the genetic lottery getting him and Mary as parents. Being two weeks early certainly didn't help either.

  It's cries have died down significantly. Scarily. If it wasn't for the sight of it opening and closing its tiny fist he wouldn't think it was even alive.

  Mary clutches onto him with everything she has. It's gentle and tender while also desperate and certain. Her eyes shimmer as she stares down at the tiny new life the doctors have just handed to her.

  “We were a bit worried about him being born slightly early but he seems to be a perfectly healthy little boy.” The midwife beams. Not knowing what to say, Mary giggles and gently pushes it's tiny little nose with a soft, sweaty trembling finger.

  “A boy.” She looks up at Tony and beams. Mother’s instinct.

  The hours of labour have left her sweaty and red faced with a crow's nest of hair but she radiates in the sunlight. It doesn't matter if she looks a state, he's never seen her look more happy, beautiful or full of life before.

  Eventually everything begins to calm down again. Nurses slowly file away as time goes on until the room is almost empty.

  Mary keeps the bundle resting in her arms the whole time. Not letting go even for a second. Her fingers carefully brush against it's exposed skin with a feather like touch.

  With her attention focused elsewhere, Tony finally takes a step out of the room into the cool corridor. Not until he's out of the room does he realise just how hot it was in there. A far cry from the pleasant air conditioned conditions of the hospital corridor.

  His shaky hand grabs his phone and dials Peppers number. He still hadn’t explained the situation to anyone. Were they wondering what happened? Had they figured it out? Did they even notice Tony and Mary weren't in? No one has tried calling Tony's phone so he wouldn't be surprised if no one realised.

  “Tony?” Pepper finally picks up the phone.

  “Hey Pep.” He takes a deep breath in and out. God it's good to hear her voice.

  “Why are you calling?” He can practically hear her frowning from the other side of the phone.

  “I'm at the hospital right now. Mary's just had the baby.” Tony mumbles and slumps down in one of the hospital chairs.

  “Holy shit. Really? Are they both okay?” Pepper asks frantically.

  “They're both fine. They were kinda worried about the baby but they said it's all fine. No issues for either of them.” What would he have even done if things didn't go to plan? If something happened to either of them? He's just glad he never had to think about dealing with that situation.

  “Girl or boy?” Peppers breathing is back to a regular rate. Her smiling is audible through the phone.

  “Boy.”

  “What did I tell you? Always listen to the mother.” Pepper laughs softly, “What are you doing now? Are you with them?”

  “I stepped out to get some air.” He turns around so he can see through the private rooms window. From here he can see Mary and the baby cuddling as one of the nurses finishes up checking both of them.

  “Go. Be with them.” Pepper demands. He knows he should do as she says but he isn't prepared to go back in there.

  “I'm giving them some space.”

  “ _Anthony Edward Stark_. You go in there right now.” Pepper says sternly. Even when she's not here she's bossing him about.

  “Fine, fine, I'm going.” He grumbles and hangs up the phone. If he's going into the room then he has to get up off of the chair. Eventually he forces himself up off of the chair, just as the last nurse leaves the room.

  Quietly and cautiously he slips into the room and takes a seat in the little chair set up next to the hospital bed. Mary looks up at him as he takes a seat but stays quiet. They both stay like that for a couple of minutes, neither one needing to say anything to the other.

  “I've already decided he's called Peter so you don't have a chance to mess up the name this time.” She finally breaks the silence between the two of them. The baby is resting in her arms asleep. It's fist is curled up as small as possible and is sticking out of the blanket he's wrapped up in. It rises and falls with her breaths.

  “And you say I'm bad at naming.” He snorts.

  “Peter's an amazing name - certainly better than whatever rubbish you would've come up with.”

  “Oh really. Because I think Sparky would've been a great name.” She giggles which makes the baby rise and fall erratically on her chest. It's fist shifts position as it gurgles. Waking up ever so slightly.

  “Come closer.” She mumbles. Tony hesitates for a second before shuffling closer with the chair so he's directly next to the hospital bed. Once he's in reaching distance she carefully lifts the baby into her arms. Without any proper warning she begins moving it closer to Tony. Trying to hand it over to him.

  “No no no no. That's not a good idea.” He tries to shuffle away but Mary stops him.

 “Oh stop being a big baby and sit still.” She mutters with a brilliant smile.

  Still uncertain, Tony stays still and holds his arms out to take ahold of the new life. It stays awkwardly in his arms as he holds it at an arm's length from him. This is why he doesn't hang out with kids and babies.

  “God you're a mess.” She laughs and carefully adjusts his arms so he's properly holding the baby. Now it's carefully cradled in his arms. Resting peacefully on him. Protected. Safe.

  For a few seconds they sit there awkwardly. What are you supposed to do with a baby? Is be supposed to rock it? But after a bit he slowly begins to relax and finally looks down at the tiny little thing Mary has handed to him.

  Their child.

  His son.

  He's got tiny tufts of light brown hair. So light it almost appears golden when the light catches it. His cheeks are chubby and slightly patchy in places just like the rest of his skin. He still looks red but not quite as red as he looked earlier when he was first handed to Mary.

  He gently shifts his position to free one of his arms while still supporting him in the same way as before. With his free hand he carefully takes a hold of his tiny fist. As soon as he touches it, his hand opens up out of the fist shape to expose his palm.

  Not really sure what he's doing, he bushes one of his calloused fingers against the soft perfect skin of the babies palm. His hand instantly closes again so he's now gripping onto Tony's finger with a vice like grip. He curiously tries to move his finger to free it from the babies grip but he refuses to let go.

  Tony's attention is attracted back to his face. He's woken up. Now his eyes are open ever so slightly. They're crumpled up slightly to try and protect his eyes from the harsh hospital room lights but they're open. And looking around. Bright blue eyes sparkling against his soft perfect skin.

  Just looking down at him makes his heart curl up on itself. People had talked about this feeling before but it’s not something Tony is supposed to feel. He’s a Stark man. Stark men are made or iron. Iron doesn’t break or bend. But right now he knows he would break and bend a million times over for this little bundle.

  The only one he would tear the world apart for.

  The only one.

  “Hello Peter…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm from England so don't really know how pregnancies work in the US. I probably should've just researched it but I really couldn't be bothered to... Instead I've kinda just done it as I remember from when my brother was born. However that was years ago (and I obviously wasn't present for the actual birth) so I've probably got loads of stuff wrong when it comes to pregnancy and birth. I did do some research but after a while I just couldn't be bothered (terrible I know...). Just go with it and ignore all the stuff that's wrong.


	4. First Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has to adapt his life around the new arrival

**Goodnight, goodnight**  
**My sweet little one**  
**Tomorrow your eyes**  
**They will light up the sun**

**\- Lullaby, sleeping at last**

 

~~~

 

  The drive back to the mansion is oddly quiet. From what Tony had heard about babies he was expecting the drive home to be loud and smelly but it was nothing of the sort. Peter stays fast asleep the whole time, with Mary right beside him in the back seat - watching over him.

  It's lucky Tony put his phone on silent because it's being constantly bombarded with texts and calls from almost everyone. Although he feels the urge to look down at the messages every so often, he keeps all his focus solely on the road. With Mary and Peter in the car there's no way he's risking anything. He refuses to be Howard.

  By the time they get back, Peter is finally beginning to stir. His eyes are screwed shut tightly to try and block out the harsh light coming from the lights in the car. Seeing his reaction, Mary reaches into the car seat and gently lifts Peter out. He whines and screws his eyes even tighter as he squirms in his mother's arms.

  When both of them have gotten out of the car, Mary walks straight over to him and hands him Peter. On instinct he takes the little bundle from her, holding him close to his chest.

  “What am I supposed to do?” All his focus is fixed on the squirming, whining, red faced boy sitting in his arms. He’s strangely warm in Tony’s arms, even without the blanket around him. Is he supposed to be this warm? Is that normal?

  “Just hold him while I grab his blanket.” She isn’t looking at Tony, instead her head is inside the car as she rustles through the bag to look for Peter’s blanket. It must be deep in the bag because she takes forever searching, leaving Tony holding Peter the whole time.

  As soon as Mary locates the blanket Tony thrusts Peter back into her arms. She knows how to deal with this better than him. Let her handle him for now.

  “Tony?” Pepper calls out from the front of the house. She’s still in her formal clothes - just come back from a meeting or something similar. Behind her is Rhodey and Happy, both standing patiently in the doorway. Tony has no idea when Rhodey arrived - he certainly hadn’t been here when Tony and Mary had left for the hospital.

  “Rhodey? What are you doing here?” He frowns curiously. 

  “I was planning on a surprise visit I didn’t realise you’d have had the baby before I even arrived. Jumping the ball a little there.” Rhodey laughs excitedly.

  “Well Peter was a bit impatient. Apparently waiting another two weeks was a bit long for him.” Mary chuckles and steps closer to the others so they can get a better look at Peter. Tenderly she pulls down the blanket slightly to expose his face.

  “Peter huh?” Happy mumbles, walking forward ever so slightly. Out of politeness he lets Pepper and Rhodey stay ahead of him - giving Mary and Peter a little more space.

  “Peter Fitzpatrick.” Mary coos. One of her fingers gently strokes his slightly red cheek.

  “Not a Stark then?” Pepper tilts her head to one side slightly.

  “Thought it would probably be best not to tie him to the Stark name - not while he’s young anyway.” Tony briefly explains. It had always been the plan. Growing up a Stark hadn’t been easy for Tony and he doubts the new found fame of the Stark name will make it any easier. It’s not the life Peter, Mary or Richard deserve.

  “Seems I’ve got a very cute nephew.” Rhodey grins and peers over the blanket curiously.

  “You wanna hold him?” Mary holds Peter out towards Rhodey. Cautiously he nods and reaches out his hands to take Peter from her. He sits silently in Rhodey’s arms - smaller than Tony had been expecting.

  “He’s tiny.” Happy mumbles and peers over Rhodey’s shoulder to see Peter.

  “We probably shouldn’t hang around outside.” Pepper shivers slightly and rubs her arms in a weak attempt to keep herself warm.

  Until this moment Tony hadn’t even realised that he was cold. He’d been so wrapped up in his thoughts that it had been pushed to the back of his mind. It's not normally this cold in Malibu in mid August, even if it is night. Cold wind must be blowing in from the sea or something. Of course Pepper is right, it’s too cold for Peter out here. The blanket might be helping him a bit but not enough for them to stay out here for much longer.

  “You’re right - we should go back inside.” Mary nods and takes Peter back from Rhodey. He holds the door open for them to pass through - waiting until everyone has filed through to go through himself. As soon as the door has closed, warmth floods over them. Thank god he invested in the high grade heating system. They'd said it would be completely pointless but he'd proven them wrong.

  “Welcome home sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S greets them warmly. Although he doesn't actually say anything about Peter, Tony can practically hear him analysing Peter and taking in the situation. 

  "Hey J." Tony smiles softly, looking down at the ground. 

  “As much as I’d like to stay and talk properly, it’s been a long day and I think we both need some rest for tonight.” Mary says apologetically.

  “I think we all need some rest - it’s really late now. We can wait until a reasonable time in the morning to properly talk.” Pepper reassures her, looking over at Happy and Rhodey to check they’re on the same page. Both of them nod - Happy even yawns instinctively.

  Mary and Peter both come to Tony’s room to sleep that night. Surprisingly Peter’s already asleep by the time they get ready for bed. She sets him down in his little Moses basket in the corner of the room.

  She must be incredibly tired because she passes out almost as soon as her head hits the pillow. Tony isn’t quite so lucky. Unlike her, he lies in bed staring up at the ceiling quietly. Listening to the sounds of her and Peter breathing softly. During MIT they normally slept with three people in the room but he’d forgotten how it felt to have so many people in the room with him.

  A couple of hours into the night he is snapped out of his half conscious state by soft crying coming from the basket. When he twists around to check on Mary, she’s still sound asleep. Curled up under the blankets completely oblivious to Peter's quiet cries. Although Mary shows no sign of waking up, Peter is only getting louder. With every second that goes by he gets closer to actually waking everyone else up.

  Although Mary would probably know what to do better than him, he can’t bring himself to wake her up. She looked so exhausted earlier, she deserves a break. At least for tonight.

  Despite his better judgement he gets up from the bed and creeps over to the basket. His feet pad across the floor softly, disrupting the sound of Peters crying. As Tony appears in front of the basket, Peter quietens down ever so slightly.

  He’s still slightly red faced with his blankets off of him on the other side of the basket. His hair sticking up in all directions so he almost looks like a hedgehog. His eyes are blinking curiously as he stares up into the blackness of the room. Seeing nothing but the darkness of the room around him.

  “Hey there buddy - what are you complaining about?” He whispers in a quiet voice. As much as possible he keeps his distance from Peter's basket. The more distance the better. However the quiet only lasts a second as Peter begins crying properly once again.

  “Hey hey hey...gotta be quiet so mommy can sleep.” He hisses, looking over his shoulder at Mary. She’s shifting ever so slightly, burying her head even further under the covers. Unfortunately his words don’t seem to persuade Peter in the slightest.

  “Shhhh...shhhh…” He tries to hush him but gets no response, “What about your blanket?” Carefully, he picks up the blanket Peter had shed and tries to wrap it him once again but that only makes him cry more.

  “Not a fan of the blanket, huh? I don’t blame you, it sucks.” Richard had chosen a horrendous lime green woolen blanket covered in ducks wearing sunglasses for Peter months ago. Some people might think it’s cute but in Tony’s opinion it’s one of the most disgusting pieces of material he’s ever seen. It doesn’t help that it’s made of wool and so it’s itchy and uncomfortable.

  “Okay...I’m going to pick you up now so please stop crying…” Cautiously, he reaches into the basket and picks up the tiny child. As soon as Tony rests him against his chest, he stops crying completely. “You like being held huh?” He whispers under his breath.

  “Let’s give mom some space shall we?” Tony mumbles as he bounces Peter up and down - trying to ignore how strangely comfortable it feels.

  The warmth that had been worrying before is actually comforting now. A warm presence at Tony's side. Reminding him that he's not alone in the darkness. 

  As slowly as humanly possible he creeps out of the room, carefully bouncing Peter as he walks. With the lights off it's hard to tell exactly where they’re going but for the most part he manages to avoid stubbing his toe on anything.

  Luckily the moonlight is incredibly bright tonight and shines through the huge windows Tony had installed in the mansion. Obviously he could just turn on the lights but he’d really rather not - remembering how Peter reacted to the light earlier when they brought him home. Besides it’s not like he really needs the light on with all the moonlight.

  “J.A.R.V.I.S?” Tony mumbles. He stares down at the fuzz of brown hair now pressed against his chest. Every breath Peter takes he can feel against his chest. The steady, warm rise and fall.

  “Yes sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S replies as quietly as Tony did so as not to disturb Peter. Peter frowns and screws his eyes closed tighter at the sound of J.A.R.V.I.S’ voice.

  “Is there anything we could use as a blanket for Peter?”

  “The things from the Stark Mansion are currently located in the storage room adjacent to your lab.” _The things from the Stark Mansion_...why would J.A.R.V.I.S say to go there?

  All of Maria and Jarvis’ personal items had been stored down there as soon as Tony had moved into the new mansion. The things he chose not to sell or donate. Most of Howards stuff had been given away to various places or stored in SI’s base. In all the years that he’d lived here he’d never gone back into that room - keeping it under lock and key. Not even Pepper or Happy had been down there. He doubts they even know it exists. Tony certainly didn't tell them about it.

  “I’ll take a look.” He trusts J.A.R.V.I.S’ intel, even if he doesn’t understand why anything would be there.

  As they go down the stairs, the moonlight fades away until it’s almost pitch black. Without the huge glass windows there's no other proper source of light. At least not one sufficient enough for Peter and Tony. Despite how he knows Peter feels about the light, he turns on the light at the lowest setting. Although he shifts against Tony, he doesn’t start crying again.

  With the lights on DUM-E and Butterfingers suddenly spark into life. Both of them suddenly try to make a dash towards Peter and Tony - disrupting Peter even further. Before they can reach Tony and Peter, J.A.R.V.I.S intervenes, leading DUM-E and Butterfingers back over to the other side of the lab.

  Not wanting to waste anymore time, Tony heads straight over to the door to the storage room. It takes a few seconds for the door to register his hand print but as soon as it does, the door beeps and slowly swings open.

  Dust billows through the storage room as soon as they enter. After a few seconds it seems to settle, allowing Tony to breathe properly again. It’s completely dark except for the trickle of light coming through the door they’ve just opened. What little light is entering reflects off of the cardboard boxes ever so slightly, ricocheting around the rest of the room.

  “Let’s get a light on in here shall we.” Tony whispers to Peter but it’s more for his own benefit than Peter’s. It’s almost as if Peter is just another one of his bots. In many ways he kind of is...

  His hand trails along the wall as he searches the darkness for the light switch. It takes longer than he’d like to admit to actually find it and by the time he finally manages to get it on his eyes have adjusted to the darkness. Unlike the other rooms they’re not fitted with adjustable lighting since Tony never uses the room. Unfortunately it means when the light finally comes on it's in full force. Both him and Peter instinctively screw their eyes shut but surprisingly Peter doesn’t actually start crying.

  With the lights on the mess of cardboard boxes are fully visible. They’re stacked on top of one another- slightly unstable and rickety. It’s impossible to tell where to even begin. Maybe he should’ve had a better organisation system.

  “Well well well. Guess we better get started then.” He hums.

  Slowly Tony manages to get into a rhythm of checking the boxes. Most of them are completely pointless nic nacs that he doesn't really know why he kept. Maria's ornamental plates that she used to hand polish herself every Sunday even though they were chipped beyond repair. Jarvis’ old record player which Tony had badly damaged once when he accidentally knocked it off of the counter while he was sword fighting Peggy. It still mostly worked somehow but the sound came out kinda funny and it randomly sped up or slowed down without any warning.

  Just when he's thinking if giving up he spots a box in the corner labelled Anthony. Unlike all the other boxes it wasn't labelled by Happy or Tony, the delicate swirls of writing clearly done by Maria. Happy must've just chucked it in the van without realising…

  With a shaky hand he drags the box out into the open. Dust has settled in a thick layer here here, just like everywhere else in the room. It's cardboard structure ragged and torn from years of life. His free hand gently brushes off the dust and pries open the cardboard lid.

  Inside is a collection of things Tony had no clue even existed. There's a collection of stuffed teddies lovingly arranged a top pile baby blankets which must've once been Tony's. There's a whole selection of toys in varying states of disrepair. The most worn down looking is a grey rabbit with one lopsided ear and an eye missing. Patches of material have worn away so only the bottom layer of fabric remains.

  Were these all once his? His childhood toys? None of them feel even vaguely familiar.

  Pushing aside the toys, he grabs one of the soft blankets they were sitting on. From what he can see they're all plain and pastel blue, clearly made of some expensive high end material. At least they're an improvement from whatever Richard brought.

  However as he pushes the blankets aside he spots something slightly different amongst the bundle of blankets. Bright red amongst the softer, gentler colours. Not the sort of colour he can imagine Maria buying for him. Too harsh and energetic for her tastes.

  Curiously, he tugs it out of it's place to get a better look at it. Looking at it fully, it's clear that some compromise was made when it was brought. Although it's mostly red, there are splashes of blue interwoven amongst the red. Large stripes of red punctuated by thinner stripes of blue.

  “What do you think Pete?” He whispers, holding the blanket closer to Peter. When he looks down at Peter he sees his eyes blink a few times before ultimately giving up and closing them again. Apparently he's still awake then.

  “You must be getting tired now.” Tony sighs.

  He's just about to turn away to go back upstairs when he catches sight of something underneath the spot where the red and blue blanket had been. It's an old picture Tony's never seen before mounted in a golden frame. Judging by the Christmas hats and looming Christmas tree in the background the Stark household was actually celebrating Christmas. How times have changed.

  The only real indication of what year it is the chubby baby Howard is holding on his lap. It's hard to imagine Howard ever even touching him as a baby but the proof is right in front of him. Even stranger, he's smiling. Properly. Nothing like the bitter forced smile Tony remembers. Was this what Maria saw every time she looked at Howard? Why she fell in love with him.

  Right at Howard's side is Maria. Her hair has been perfectly braided to match Ana Jarvis’ who is sitting beside her. Jarvis is stood behind the two of them, his hand which is resting on Ana’s shoulder is carefully being covered by Ana’s. It’s not just the four of them though - Peggy is also there. She’s stood up like Jarvis but is beside Howard instead of Maria and Ana.

  “Tony?” A voice drags him out of his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. Turning around, Tony finds Pepper stood behind him in the doorway. She’s still in her pyjamas, her hair hanging loosely down.

  “What are you still doing here? I thought you would’ve gone home by now.” It’s rare for Pepper to stick around the mansion after hours.

  “I wanted to sleep in the mansion tonight - in case you or Mary needed help. What are you doing down here?” She steps into the room and looks around at the various boxes scattered about. “What is this place?”

  “It’s a storage area for some of the old stuff from the mansion. J.A.R.V.I.S said there was a blanket for Peter down here.” Tony hurriedly shoves the photo back into the box underneath the blankets.

  “I had no idea this was here…” She mumbles, walking even closer to Tony.

  “It’s not really in use. There just wasn’t much point in selling all this old junk.” Tony gently nudges one of the nearest boxes with his foot. At the motion, Peter begins gurgling and squirming again, attracting Peppers attention.

  “I didn’t realise you had Peter with you.” She mumbles, peering at the bundle pressed up against Tony's chest.

  “He woke up and began crying so I took him out of the room to give Mary some more rest.”

  “He was probably hungry.” Pepper coos - booping his nose softly.

  “Well I’d been hoping that we wouldn’t have to wake up Mary…” 

  “We don’t have to - there’s formula in the kitchen, it can’t be too hard to make right…”

  Although neither him or Pepper have any clue how to make formula, it doesn’t end up being as hard as Tony had been expecting. For the most part he leaves it for Pepper to deal with - being stuck with Peter in his arms. A great excuse to avoid having to do things.

  It's pretty clear that Pepper was right about him being hungry. While he’d been surprisingly quiet earlier while they were searching the storage room now he’s beginning to kick up. It's a good thing the formula is already on the way because the crying is beginning to get annoying.

  As soon as Pepper puts the bottle in his mouth he quietens. The magical mystical powers of the bottle. Tony has a sneaking suspicion that this little trick is going to quickly become one of his favourite things. Once he’s fully latched on and begun feeding she hands to bottle to Tony so she doesn’t have to keep holding it in the same awkward position while he feeds.

  “He looks like you.” She muses as she watches over Peter.

  “Does he?” Looking at Peter now Tony doesn’t see what she does. His hair is considerably lighter than Tony’s or Mary’s and his eyes are bright blue. Even his nose is nothing like Tony’s. In fact the more he looks at his nose the more he sees Mary in his face. There’s nothing of himself in Peter - not that he can see anyway. Whatever Pepper is seeing Tony can’t see it.

  “Definitely. I bet he’s going to look more and more like you as time goes on.” She hums and strokes his head tenderly. He hardly even reacts to her stroking him, completely engrossed in his bottle.

  “If he’s lucky.” Tony jokes although he doesn’t really believe Peter is ever going to look like him. If anything he’ll probably end up looking like Mary.

  Pepper rolls her eyes and steps away from Tony and Peter. The bottle is basically empty now. Didn’t waste any time getting through the bottle then. Good appetite for someone so tiny.

  With the bottle finished Peter slowly begins drifting off. He tries to hide his face in Tony’s arm to try and protect himself from the bright lights.

  “You should probably take him back to bed.” Pepper hums as she watches Peter.

  “Probably…Hopefully this time he’ll actually go to sleep.” He sets the bottle down on the countertop quietly.

  “Goodnight Tony.” Pepper smiles softly and rests her hand on his arm gently.

  “Night Pep.” He mutters as she turns around to head back to the room she’s staying in. He quickly follows after her and heads off to his room where Mary and the basket are.

 So as not to disturb Mary he tiptoes over to the basket. Luckily Peter stays quiet as Tony lowers him into the basket. As carefully as possible he grabs the red and blue blanket they had retrieved from the storage room and lays it over Peter. Instinctively he tucks the blanket around Peter so he’s properly warm this time. Hopefully that’ll stop him from waking up again...maybe? Is that how babies work or do they just wake up regardless?

  Tony never mentions the night to Mary - keeping it to himself. Fortunately the next night both of them are slightly more rested than the first night being back. Although Peters crying wakes him up once again, this time Mary takes charge of the situation and breastfeeds him instead.

  It doesn’t take long to get used to being woken up on a nightly basis by a crying baby. It’s not actually too different to his normal sleeping hours which probably helps although the changing pattern and short naps are certainly harder to deal with than just low hours of sleep. Normally he sleeps in large blocks, with even larger blocks of waking hours spacing them out. 

  While Mary begins sacrificing her lie in's to deal with Peter - Tony does no such thing. Even with Peter crying he tries his best to stay in bed for as long as possible in the mornings. Making the most of the warm sunlight that streams in through his window in the mornings. 

  “Tony! Can you come in here a second?” Mary shouts out from the ensuite.

  Water is running from the bathtub, partially drowning out the sound of her voice. Pretty soon Peter’s crying is also joining in the orchestra of sounds making Mary completely inaudible.

  “What is it?” Tony grumbles tiredly. His eyes are still half closed as he stumbles from the bed over to the bathroom.

  It’s been just over a week - the day Richard is due to return. Hopefully that means Tony will be able to get out of this stuff from now on.

  When Mary had called Richard he’d obviously wanted to instantly come back to check on both her and Peter but his work hadn’t allowed for it. Both Tony and Mary had insisted they’d manage without him for the week which they had so far.

  “I need to give Peter a bath. It’d be easier with an extra pair of hands.” She mumbles distracted. Her hair is already wet without having even put Peter in the bath yet. It’s not just her hair that is wet, her clothes are also already slightly wet.

  It’s strange although they’re giving Peter a bath it’s not the bathtub that Mary is using. Instead a small plastic bathtub has been set on the bathroom floor and is filled with lukewarm water.

  One of her hands is trying to hold Peter closer to her while the other tries and fails to brush her wet hair out of her face. Peter is crying without any remorse - giving both of them pounding headaches. Hopefully Rhodey and Happy aren’t being woken up as well…

  “What do you need me to do?” He stands in the doorway awkwardly, not daring to get any closer.

  “Can you take Peter while I check the water?” She hurriedly passes Peter over to Tony without waiting to see what Tony’s reaction is.

  “Sure.” He mumbles and holds Peter closer. Being right close to Peter makes his crying a thousand times louder. Part of him wants to protect his ears but he doesn’t trust himself to take his hands off of Peter to cover them.

  “I think it’s okay.” She mutters as she takes her finger out of the water and shakes off the droplets, “I’ll take him now.” She carefully takes Peter from Tony and slowly lowers him into the bath. Her hand cradles his head and back as she holds him in the water.

  While Tony loves baths and showers Peter clearly doesn’t agree. Before Tony hadn’t though the crying could get any louder but Peter is more than happy to prove him wrong. The very second he touches the water he screams his lungs out. Even his face tinges red as he yells at the top of his lungs.

  “He’ll get used to it.” Mary mumbles - trying to block out the sound. Unfortunately there's no conviction behind the words though. It's the best they can do to just hope.  

  Looking at her now he can see the toll of the last few days. Her eyes are lined with dark bags which highlight the bright green colour of her eyes. Her hair is tangled and messily tied up in a failed attempt to try and keep it out of her eyes. A few strands have snuck of the ponytail to hang in front of her face and are now sticking to her forehead.

  “Do you mind holding grabbing the flannel to help me clean him?” She asks tiredly.

  “Will do.”

  Not wanting to keep her waiting Tony goes over to the draws underneath the sink and finds the softest flannel possible. As gently as he can, he grabs a flannel and dips it into the water. Once it is wet he uses it to carefully wipe away the dirt and grime of the day.

  Every brush only seems to make him more frustrated and upset. Is he doing something wrong? Should he do something differently? How the hell is someone supposed to deal with babies?

  “Don’t worry you’re doing fine - stop over thinking things.” Mary is looking over at him softly. Sometimes he wonders whether she can read his mind or something. “This is his first time having an actual bath so he’s bound to hate it.”

  After a few minutes of struggling with Peter and the bath, Mary finally deems Peter clean enough to leave the bath. Looking down at his clothes Tony can’t help but feel like he got more clean than Peter did. It certainly feels like he just took a bath.

  Now that he’s out of the bath and dressed once again he seems to have somewhat calmed down. Although he’s still agitated he’s no longer screaming which is a huge relief. Anything is better than the god awful screaming.

  “Mary?” Pepper calls out from the doorway. When had she become so quiet? Normally Tony is aware of her presence before she gets a chance to sneak up on him. “Richard has just arrived.” She announces pointing over her shoulder.

  “Really?” She instantly jumps up. Subconsciously she starts flattening her hair down and feebly attempts to make her clothes slightly more presentable.

  “You look great.” She flushes red but flashes Tony a grateful smile.

  Although Mary is getting ready to head out of the bathroom, Richard beats her to it. He suddenly appears behind Pepper in the doorway. He’s still in his work clothes and almost looks as tired as Mary. At least it’s not just Mary and Tony who have been suffering from lack of sleep.

  “Mary!” He exclaims as he sees her standing by the mini bathtub with Peter in her arms.

  Instantly Pepper moves out of his way so he can step through into the bathroom. With the path cleared he walks straight over to her and wraps her up in a bear hug.

  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.”

  “It’s fine - Tony was there. He was a huge help. I don’t know what I would’ve down without him.” she mumbles into Richards neck. Although she’s hugging Richard, she’s watching Tony softly.

  At her words Richard finally lets go of Mary and steps back. Now he rounds on Tony, giving all his attention solely to Tony.

  “Thank you so much for being there Tony. I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t been there.” The sincerity in Richards voice catches Tony off guard. Normally he would make a joke out of the situation but for some reason it doesn’t feel right in this situation. Instead he nods slightly towards Richard. Acknowledging the other man as best he can.

  “So this is Peter then…” He bends down to be closer to get a better look at him, “Hey there little guy.” Richard coos.

  Mary gently holds Peters wrist and jokingly makes him waves to Richard over dramatically. The response sparks a laugh from Richard.

  “You wanna hold him?” She asks quietly, holding Peter out towards Richard.

  “Sure…” He quietly takes Peter from her and cradles him close to his chest. Unlike Tony, he actually looks remarkably comfortable. As if he knows how you’re supposed to handle a baby. Not that Tony is particularly surprised - Richard always had been the one that knew what to do, considerably more so than Mary and Tony.

  “I’ll cook us some food.” Tony offers. They’ve all been standing in the bathroom for an uncomfortably long amount of time. Not exactly the perfect place for a reunion. As big as his en suite is, it’s not really built for four people and a baby to socialise in.

 “Good idea.” Pepper is the first to respond.

 She walks ahead of the others, alongside Tony as they walk off to the kitchen. A few steps behind them, Mary and Richard follow. Richard is still carrying Peter but Mary is right by his side every step of the way as always. Never far behind Peter. Rhodey taught her the mother bear act well.

  They look like a family. 

 

  Although for the first few months they make sure to keep Peter far away from the lab and the bots, after a while it just becomes inevitable that he'd end up down here. And as Mary likes to joke, Butterfingers is their first child making him Peters older brother.

  “Now, Butterfingers and DUM-E, you need to behave. Peter is still only little so you aren't allowed to grab him or go in his face too much.” Tony scolds them as Mary walks into the room cradling Peter. Even though they sit patiently and look up at him, Tony wonders how much they actually understand. Hopefully enough.

  “I will make sure to keep a close eye on both of them sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S announces diligently. Good boy.

  With the scolding out of the way, Mary crouches down to Butterfinger and DUM-E’s level. Instantly they spin around and drive over go her, Tony completely out of their minds. As carefully as possible she sits Peter on her lap, supporting him on all sides so he doesn't fall over like a ragdoll onto the floor. Despite his best efforts to wriggle about and flail his arms about, he stays firmly in her lap. Protected. Supported.

  “DUM-E, Butterfingers - meet your new baby brother: Peter.” Peters fists grip onto Mary's index fingers as he flails about.

  Cautiously, Butterfingers turns around to look at Tony to judge his reaction. When Tony gives him a slow nod, he turns back to Mary and Peter. Bit by bit he creeps closer - moving his claw slowly closer to the pudgy baby on his mom's lap. Before he gets close enough to actually touch Peter he stops moving, holding his claw in place.

  Curiously Peter let's go of Mary's hand and grabs Butterfingers claw instead. One chubby fist gently squeezes the bots metal claw. Instantly Butterfingers begins chirping excitedly but he stays still so Peter can keep holding onto him.

  As his chirping gets louder Peter begins leaning closer. Trying to close the distance between him and Butterfingers. Letting go of Mary completely now he reaches out his other hand to try and grab Butterfingers face - the source of the noise. Almost as if mimicking Butterfingers, he begins gurgling loudly. As he reaches forward he breaks out into a wide smile. He opens and closes his fist excitedly as he tries to grasp whatever he can of Butterfingers.

  “He's smiling.” She coo’s excitedly, “He's never done that before. You like the bots Pete?” In response Peter starts bouncing up and down on her lap.

  Before the day is out it's pretty clear that Peter has replaced both Mary and Rhodey as DUM-E and Butterfingers favourite. So now Tony is a solid third favourite for the pair. Even J.A.R.V.I.S prefers Peter to him.

  With Peter as their favourite work slows down considerably. Everytime Peter and Mary come over to the lab the boys spend all day whizzing about Peter excitedly and handing him all kinds of junk they’ve found around the lab - none of it fit for a baby.

  In the end it becomes easier to build Peter a little baby proof pen in the corner of the lab so Mary can help out instead of the bots. Roles have been reversed and DUM-E and Butterfingers are the ones spending hours entertaining the kid. After all the work Tony put into them it seems their chosen career path is to be babysitters.

  After vigorous training from Tony, Mary and J.A.R.V.I.S they seem to have finally figured out what appropriate toys for babies are. From time to time they'll still attempt to sneak a spanner or a piece of metal under the radar but J.A.R.V.I.S is always paying attention. Keeping watch when Mary and Tony can't. Most of the time they've hardly even picked it up before J.A.R.V.I.S is chastising them.

  Fortunately lack of money isn't an issue. Peters pen is quickly filled up with a hoard of babysafe toys for DUM-E and Butterfingers to give to Peter. In fact there's probably too many toys shoved into the pen, especially as Christmas rolls around.

  Just like with last Christmas, everyone seems to have universally decided to come around Tony's for the holiday. Once again no one consulted him. In all honesty, he doesn't think he'd have said no if they'd asked. With Peter around, the house hasn't been quiet in an incredibly long time. Going back to the quiet would feel...wrong.

  Like last year, Rhodey is the first to arrive in his new Colonel uniform. He'd called Tony as soon as he'd been promoted, beaming with pride. He was the youngest Colonel appointed in decades, a badge he wore with pride.

  “Where’s my favourite nephew?” Rhodey asks as soon as he walks into the house. Pepper follows behind him, silver tinsel is wrapped loosely around her neck. Pieces of the silver tinsel are stuck in her hair which is hanging loose - something he’s never seen her do before.

  "Your only nephew." Tony adds but everyone just ignores him. 

  "Over here!” Richard calls from the kitchen. While Rhodey is putting his stuff down to the side of the room, Richard returns to the living room to join them. Peter is still happily being held by Richard, clinging to his side. Richards ar keeps him firmly perched on his hip so he doesnt fall.

  The pair of them match, both wearing green santa hats. Peter even goes one step further and wears the full on santa suit. Even though it’s not particularly close to Christmas yet, Rhodey's arrival is a special occasion. Something to dress up for.

  “Ah, there you are.” Rhodey reaches forward and takes Peter from Richard. As soon as he’s in Rhodey’s arms, Peter beginning gurgling and grinning like a mad man.

  With Peter successfully transferred to Rhodey, Richard is now free to relax next to Mary on the sofa. She wraps her arms around him as soon as he sits down on the sofa, resting her head on his shoulder peacefully.

  “I feel underdressed.” Rhodey mumbles as he bounces Peter up and down gleefully.

  To be honest, he is the only one without some kind of Christmas get up. Mary has donned a Christmas hat just like the rest of her little family - although her’s is red and decorated with various pieces of tinsel tied around it. Without meaning to, her and Happy have coordinated their christmas hats although there’s not as much tinsel on Marys as there is wrapped around Happy's. Even Tony has a pair of reindeer antlers resting on his head. Everytime he moves his head the bells on the antlers jingle, attracting Peter’s attention.

  “I’m sure we can find you something.” Pepper mumbles cheekily, smirking cheekily.

  “I’m good for now…” Tony doesn’t doubt that they’ll be able to get him into something before the end of the night. Pepper is especially fond of having everyone dressed up festively. It’s as if you can see the cogs already turning in her mind. Already choosing which kind of festive clothing Rhodey is going to be forced into by the end of the night.

  In the end, she manages to sneak a pair of red reindeer ears onto Rhodey as he sits beside Tony on the sofa that evening. As much as Rhodey huffs and puffs about it Tony doesn’t see him try to remove them even once.

  When Christmas actually rolls around it becomes clear that the previous get ups were only the beginning. On Christmas Eve morning the entirety of both the Parker and Rhodey families show up at the mansion - even Ben and May decided to come over here again. Once again the mansion is completely full - a full house of 12 even with Happy gone back home to spend time with his family.

  Pepper wastes no time finding suitable clothes for everyone. Everyone that was around when Rhodey first arrives keep the same festive decorations they had before but the new guys get the joy of being properly outfitted by Peppers seemingly endless box of christmas outfits.

  As it gets closer and closer to Christmas day the outfits get more and more elaborate. By the time they get to Christmas day they’ve all got full unique Christmas outfits. Peter even has little elf shoes with bells on them. It’s cute for the first ten minutes but then it begins getting annoying, not that Mary seems to care. In fact she has him keep the shoes and little hat on for the entirety of Christmas day.

 Once again Obie comes over to celebrate Christmas with them. Fortunately the new larger table does make a difference and no one needs to take a dodgy chair to sit around the breakfast bar.

  Having Peter around manages to increase the excitement around the whole celebration to a whole new level - something Tony hadn’t thought was possible. The Rhodes clan in particular make a fuss over Peter. Jeanette is especially fond of rocking Peter - hogging him for most of the celebration. It’s not uncommon to catch her rocking him about and even swinging him so he goes upside down which never fails to make him erupt in giggles. Kid likes being held upside down apparently.

  However unlike last year, this year the mansion doesn't feel empty once the Christmas season has passed. With Peter and Mary still dropping by the mansion (mostly the lab) on an almost daily basis there's not really time for the mansion to start feeling empty again. Especially since the dining table is in continuous use as Richard Mary and Peter drop round for dinner regularly - forcing Tony out of his lab for scheduled meals. No matter how hard he tries to worm his way out of the meals, Pepper is always around to drag him out for meal times with everyone else. 

  “Richard asked me to marry him.” Mary announces one morning as they sit in the lab.

  While Tony is sat by his worktop, Mary is laying on the floor with Peter resting on her chest. It’s one of the few times where Peter actually stays still these days. Normally he spends all his time wriggling and squirming trying to find a way to explore the place on his own to no avail. However every time she rest him on her belly he stays stock still - laughing and giggling as she pulls funny faces and plays peekaboo.

  “Already?” They hadn’t even really been dating for a year. Not officially at least. Although given the years they’d spent living together in London it’s as if they’ve been together for much longer. Maybe that’s why he’s not actually surprised about the announcement. 

  “What did you say?” Although he already knows the answer.

  “I said yes.” Even though she’s talking to Tony, all her attention is completely focused on Peter, “You’re going to be a little Parker baby. Peter Parker.” She mumbles softly to Peter which makes him giggle loudly.

  “You know when you’re getting married?”

  “We haven’t really talked about it but I don’t think we’ll wait too long. Neither of us really want a big celebration. Probably just in the city hall or something....” She says thoughtfully, more for her benefit than Tony’s.

  In the end they decide to set the date for 2 months later - early February time. Despite choosing to do a wedding in the city hall, it ends up being bigger than anyone had really expected. It’s not just family that have been invited but friends and work colleagues too.

  To Tony’s surprise he’s seated in a car with Ben Parker, his parents and May. In fact, the only non Parker in the car except Tony is Pepper who is furiously glued to his side. Being seated with the closest family members wasn’t been something he’d been expecting, however no one else seems to be surprised to find him and Pepper alongside them in the car.

  Although no one gave them a specific dress code it's clear someone has tried to coordinate everyone. Most likely Pepper. She specially chose his navy suit and now looking around he can see it's a common colour. All the women have fancy navy dresses with dark blue ribbons and flowers in their hair while the men all have navy suits and Boutonnieres.

  “How are you feeling?” Ben asks with a soft smile from the seat in front of Tony.

  “Relieved. Was beginning to think it was never going to happen.” Tony sighs loudly. It's fair to say that everyone in the car had been waiting a while for this day - even  Pepper who only first met Mary in the last year or so.

  “It was bound to happen.” May says quietly. How long has she known Richard and Mary? Tony never bothered to ask her about how or when they all met for the first time.

  “It’ll be a great day to celebrate.” Mr. Parker adds.

  Tony quickly takes him up on that, already breaking open the champagne bottle that they have stored in the freezer box at Tony’s feet. Without speaking he hands a plastic wine glass to each of them and carefully pours out some champagne into each one. Years of practice have given him that skill at least.

 Fortunately they have finished their drinks by the time the car pulls up outside the courthouse. From the car windows they can see Mary and Richard already stood out in front of them. Peter is clinging onto Mary and giggling as she bounces him on her hip. She’s dressed up in a navy blue dress just like the other girls and her hair is neatly plaited with dark blue flowers threaded through the plaited hair.

 Their car must be the last one to arrive because the Rhodes family and all of their work friends are already here. There aren’t a ridiculous number of people but it’s more than anyone had really been expecting. Good thing they booked an entire bar for the evening celebration party.

 As they get out of the car Rhodey comes over to greet them. As he gets closer Tony realises his suit is an almost exact match to Rhodey’s.

 “Looking good.” Rhodey acknowledges with a slight nod.

 “When am I not?” Tony flashes a crooked smile.

  As he looks around he picks up on the noticeable absence of Ruth and Charles - Mary's adoptive parents. Their relationship was never one he understood but them not being here says a lot. Thinking about it, not once have they come to see Peter or even been mentioned since Peter was conceived. They'd never been particularly close but this feels different. Did something change?

  At first he assumes they're just running late but neither of them make an appearance at any point during the ceremony. Out of the corner of his eye he keeps a watch on the door to see if they slip into the room but the door doesn't even open once. Not even as they begin heading off to get to the after party do either of them turn up.

  "Congratulations." Tony says as he sips on his champagne, "It was a long time due." 

  "Maybe..." That might be the first time she's outright admitted how much they were dancing around each other. 

  "So now it's Peter and Mary Parker then?" From what he had gathered those were the names they'd decided on. Her and Peter might as well be Parkers at this point. They've been a part of the family for a long time.

  "I don't see your adoptive parents anywhere." Part of him knows he probably shouldn't ask as to not ruin the mood but when has Tony ever done what he's supposed to? 

  "No." It's a curt answer but the mood doesn't seem to have been ruined. There's no indication that she's bothered in the slightest by the question.

  "What happened?"

  "Nothing as such - we haven't spoken since I moved to England really. They moved to Maine just after I left for London and we never really bothered to stay in touch after that." She bites the inside of her cheek, "We did get on at first you know. That's why they adopted me. After a while though things just kind of stopped working between us though."

  Oddly enough, he actually does understand. It kind of sounds like his relationship with Maria in a way. As much as he cares - _cared_ \- about her at some point things just stopped working.

  "Anyway this isn't the time or the place for this kind of sad talk - let's go do something fun." Mary clears her throat and grabs onto Tony's wrists, "Come on, lets dance!" 

  As she drags him over to the dance floor he catches sight of Pepper chatting to a couple of Mary's colleagues to one side of the dance floor. At the same time Mary lets go of Tony to go and pursue someone else off in the distance. Without her guiding him about, Tony starts to wander over to Pepper. 

  "Pepper Potts." Tony drawls. One of his free hands has been shoved roughly into his pockets while the other holds a glass of whiskey he;d picked up from the bar a few minutes ago. 

  "Tony Stark." She sounds oddly surprised to see Tony stood behind her despite them both having driven to the party together.

  "You want to dance?" Tony takes his free hand out of his pocket and offers it out to Pepper. 

  "Oh, no - " She shakes her head quickly in an attempt to dissuade him but it does absolutely nothing. The false conviction in her voice obviously 

  "Alright, come on." He quickly interrupts her and grabs her hand to start leading her over to the dance floor. 

  Despite her protests she happily wraps her arms around Tony as they sway along with the beat of the music. All thoughts about Mary and Peter can be set aside for one night. Put aside all other thoughts to celebrate the evening. 

  Tonight he chooses to celebrate, no matter what tomorrow might bring. 

 

  “I can’t do this! I am literally the worst candidate for this. Ask Ben or something.”

  They’re sat in the living room, Mary on the couch with Peter still in his car seat beside her feet. Bags surround them containing all of Peter’s things. Just going out of the house seems to now require them to cart around their entire house with them. Babies have a seemingly endless list of requirements.

  It’s been a week since the wedding and he hasn’t actually seen Mary or Peter since then. They’ve been busier than usual and the trips to Tony’s don’t really fit into the schedule. It’s strange to go so long without seeing either of them after months of being constantly surrounded by them.

  “Stop overreacting, you’ll be fine.” Mary rolls her eyes.

  “Peppers going to be away for some company things.”

  “And you’ll do fine. It’s only for a week or so, nothing to worry about. Ben and May have work and it’s not like they’re able to take him to work with them.”

  “Please…”

  “Okay. When do you leave?”

  “In half an hour.” She grins mischievously.

  “Of course.”

   “You’ve got my number if you need anything.” She gives him a quick hug before bending over to say goodbye to Peter, “Bye bye sweeting. Mommy is going to go away for a little but now but I’ll be back soon.” She presses a kiss onto his forehead softly. He gurgles in response and wriggles in his seat.

   “Don’t worry it’ll all go fine - just don’t set fire to the house.”

   “I’m fairly sure you were the one we had to worry about when it came to setting fires.” Sure, Tony might have had a hand in the fire in their dorm room but he still put most of the fault on Mary.

   “I’d love to spend more time going over things with you but if I wait much longer then I might end up missing the plane. I’ve left a list of things to remember in the bag along with everything you’re going to need for the week. None of it’s particularly hard.” She explains and points to the large red baby bag lying closest to Peter. “See you both in one week.” She gives a quick wave as she begins walking out of the house. Tony stays watching her leave until she’s fully out of view before turning to Peter.

   “Just you and me then Pete…”

  It’s strange, this is the first time he’s ever really properly been alone with Peter. There was the time just after he’d been born but since then he’d always had someone else in the room with him. Now it was just the two of them alone together.

  Peter gurgles and kicks his legs from his car seat. What are you supposed to do with a child? Right now he appears to be surprisingly happy considering he’s strapped into a chair unable to properly move. Apparently his new favourite activity is chewing the straps of the car seat. Everything else in the world has been completely blurred out in favour of eating his way through the tough material strap.

  With Peter sufficiently distracted, Tony wanders over to the mass of bags Mary has left in her wake. Before even beginning to look at the other bags, he goes straight to the red bag she’d pointed out. As he scans through the contents he realises this must be the day bag - filled with spare clothes, nappies, bottles and wet wipes. Right on top of the rest is a carefully folded note with Tony’s name scrawled messily on the outside.

  “Let’s look at this then.” He sighs to himself - or maybe to Peter. It’s hard to tell anymore.

  Carefully he unfolds the piece of paper and skims through the instructions. Most of it is stuff he already really knows. Things he’s picked up after having the pair of them lurking around the mansion for so long. Baby formula, bath times, clothing, nappies. The basics.  But there are a few new things added to the list though. Bedtime stories and solid/pureed foods weren’t things Tony had ever seen Mary doing - although he supposes he’s hardly around for bedtime anymore. Not since she properly moved back in with Richard.

  With the letter fully read he stows it back in the bag and turns to Peter. He’s still completely engrossed in trying to chew the car seat straps. Unless his aim is to get drool everywhere he’s failing miserably.

  Without a concrete aim or activity for the day, Tony isn’t really sure what to do. Happy won’t be back until tomorrow and Pepper is going to be gone for the entire week. If he doesn’t find something to do he’s going to go insane.

  Looking around at the mass of bags he spots a black travel cot amongst all the mess. He hadn’t even begun to think about where Peter would sleep. As of this moment, whenever he’s slept over at the mansion he’d just slept in whatever room Mary was sleeping in - whether that be a shared room with Tony or with Richard. Now he’d been to the newly christened Parker residence, he’d seen that Peter actually had his own room there. He didn’t in fact sleep in with Mary and Richard anymore.

  “Should we make you a room?” Tony mumbles to Peter. So far Mary and Peter hadn’t shown any sign of going anywhere. The new house in Malibu was proof enough of that. If this was going to be a regular occurence he’d start needing his own room at some point.  

  Peter spits the strap out of his mouth and giggles. One of his wet, dribbly hands reaches out to grab Tony. Looking for attention.

  “Okay, let’s get you out of there then…” Tony carefully unclips the straps and reaches forward to carefully lift him out of the car seat. Thankfully he stays still as Tony lifts him out but the second his feet make contact with the ground he starts kicking again. Trying to stand on his own two legs. Unfortunately it’s all in vain as the second any weight is applied his legs completely buckle underneath him.

 Despite all of Peter’s efforts, Tony carefully lays him on the sofa on his belly. Instantly his arms come up to his side to try and lift his head up so he can examine the room. It almost looks as if he wants to start crawling but every attempt fails just like the attempt at standing.

  While Peter is trying and failing to make himself crawl along the sofa, Tony walks over and grabs the travel cot from the pile of baby stuff. Peter’s patience doesn’t last much longer than that though. The longer Tony spends wandering around trying to collect things, the closer Peter manages to wriggle to the edge of the sofa. Leaving Peter to one side is almost impossible now, he can’t imagine how hard he’s going to be to manage when he actually learns to crawl around if he’s this awkward now.

  Instead of wasting more time, he walks over to Peter and picks him up in his free arm. The other arm is gripping onto the cot. For now he'll just bring in the cot and he'll deal with everything else later. Doing it one thing at a time is the best way to actually get things organised.

  Instinctively he begins heading towards his own room but stops himself before he actually opens the door. All of the rooms along this corridor are uninhabited. A few are guest rooms, one is an art room and another is a study that is normally just used by Pepper. The only other resident of the mansion is Happy but his room is on the other side of the building, nearer the kitchen.

  Not wanting to put Peter too far from his own room, Tony turns around and walks over to the guest room directly opposite Tony’s room. Originally this was going to be Tony’s room. It’s the biggest bedroom in the entire mansion with a en suite big enough to rival Tony’s. It had been built to be the master bedroom but it felt almost _too_ big for Tony. Too similar to his own room growing up so he’d switched to the room across the hall.

  “What do you think?” Tony bounces Peter gently on his hip. However, once again, all of Peters attention is being given to Tony’s shirt which he has now bunched up in his fist so he can properly chew it, “I’m sure we won’t struggle to fill it.” Tony thinks back to the mass of bags still waiting for them in the living room.

  For the most part the room is empty. There’s a large grey bed in the center of the room and a chest of draws on the opposite side but other than that the room is almost completely empty. In fact the only decoration is a soft white plush rug which covers about two thirds of the floor space. There’s plenty of space for a travel cot - especially when Tony finally clears out the bed and wardrobe.

  After assessing the room for anything potentially dangerous he sets Peter down on the rug. As usual he sits upright on his own, beaming with pride. He claps his hands together excitedly, giggling at himself.

  Not wanting to waste anymore time Tony begins setting up the cot. It’s small enough to snuggly sit in the corner of the room without any issue, nowhere near the other pieces of furniture.

  With the cot successfully put up, Tony and Petter head back into the living room to start carrying the bags from the living room into what will soon be Peter’s room. Only once they’ve successfully transported all of them into the room does Tony finally set Peter back onto the ground. Once again he happily sits up all by himself, loving his new little trick.

  Now that everything’s in the room Tony starts to unpack the stuff and set it out on the ground so he can properly examine it all. Most of it is stuff that’ll go in the kitchen or the bathroom, but there’s a whole bag filled with clothes and another filled with books and toys which can all take up residence in the room for now. Maybe later he’ll move some of the toys from the lab up to the room.

  All the bright coloured materials on the floor instantly attract Peters attention. Although he’s a little out of reach he manages to half shuffle along the floor to try and get to the clothes. For a few seconds he considers stopping him but he decides to let him explore. What would be the harm in letting him explore a little?

  As soon as he's grabbed a hold of the nearest t-shirt he puts it straight in his mouth. His gums gnaw in the material, getting drool everywhere. Pretty soon the material is completely soaked through with his drool.

 “Ugh gross.” He mumbles, watching Peter try to devour the clothes. Contrary to what Tony had been expecting, Peter bursts out in a fit of giggles and finally takes the material out of his mouth, “You're a weird kid you know.”

  While Tony finishes finding a place for everything, Peter happily entertains himself with the t-shirt. Who needs toys when you've got clothes?

  Tony doesn’t realise how late it has gotten until he looks outside the window. Outside it is almost completely dark, the sun long gone to leave only the night sky behind. Surprisingly time has completely flown by. Although Mary had written his bed time down as 8:30 it’s now almost 9:00.

  “Better get you to bed then…” He mumbles and moves to pick Peter up. He grabs a fresh non-drool covered pair of clothes from the draw and sets Peter down on the makeshift changing table. For now it's just the chest of draws with the changing mat Mary had left him placed on top but he’ll order a proper one tonight.

  One wet nappy and dirty pair of clothes later, Tony finally has Peter ready. There's no doubt that his hair has gotten darker since when he was first born. Hair that could once be mistaken for being blonde was now clearly pale brown and had gotten less fuzzy as time has gone on.

  Somewhere along the way his blue eyes had become warm brown - almost an exact replica of Tony's own eyes. Before when he looked down at Peter he only saw Mary so to look down now and see a piece of himself staring back is strangely terrifying.

  Trying to distract himself from Peters eyes, Tony goes and grabs one of the kids books Mary had left them. The first one he finds is a cardboard book about a caterpillar or something - it seems like the best these stories are going to get.

  “The Hungry Caterpillar…” He mumbles. Quietly he flicks through the book, taking in the bright colourful pictures, “Can’t believe you actually like this crap…” Kids books really suck. Does Mary actually read Peter this stuff?

  “Okay then…” He sighs, “Once upon a time there was a very hungry caterpillar…”

  Despite it being a rather short story, about halfway through the book Peter begins drifting off. His eyes flutter shut as he tries his best to keep his eyes open for a second longer. It’s a losing battle and pretty soon he’s breathing softly in his cot.

  “Night then Pete.” Tony bends down and kisses Peters scruffy brown hair. Peter stirs a little but his eyes stay shut. Tony sets the book down unfinished on the dresser as he moves to leave the room.

  “I’ll watch over him.” J.A.R.V.I.S says protectively. His voice stays quiet so as not to disturb Peter.

  “Thanks J.” Tony smiles weakly.

  Normally he’d just go down to the lab at this point in the evening but he’s surprisingly tired. Ever since Peter was born Tony’s actually been going to bed at a decent time. At least more often than he used to. So instead he decides to head to his room and get a decent night’s rest.

  As he lies in bed his eyes flick over to the flip phone that’s resting on the bedside table. It’s odd, today has been the first day since his parents died that he hasn’t gotten a text from Mary...even while she was living here and seeing him regularly she’d text him everyday…

 

  And then he gets _the_ phone call.

 

  There’s no rain this time. There probably should be. The sun is too out of place. Too wrong. The sounds of children running and giggling in the streets is wrong. Empty.

  He’d known for years this was going to happen. He was going to lose someone else. It’s what always happens. No one ever stays. Just when she’d begun to stick around she’s quickly taken away once again. Forever this time.

  What he hadn’t been expecting was for it to be Mary. The girl who pestered him into being her friend. The girl who’d sit on the grass drawing for hours on end. Who seemed to always have charcoal or ink staining her skin. Who slept next to him almost everyday for three years. Who’s eyes sparkled bright green every time she looked at Peter. Their child…

  Why?

  A plane crash apparently - they never even made it too Paris. The odds of it happening are so low but of course it happened. It always does.

  It’s strange. Just a few weeks ago they were in a car just like this. Sitting in the same seats. Sitting with the same people. But not quite.

  May is sat in front of him but this time her dress is black. No colourful fabrics this time. All the colour had been leached out. Stolen.

  The only difference between this time and the wedding was that now Peter was here. Not with Mary. Not anymore. Now he sat on Tony’s lap quietly. Not gurgling. Not bouncing. It’s almost as if he knows something is wrong. Something is different this time.

  No one talks the whole way there.

  Somehow the drive seems to last hours. Neverending. Logically he knows it isn’t a long drive. Logic doesn’t always apply.

  As they get out of the car, Rhodey approaches Tony. He wraps one of his arms around Tony’s side, pulling him closer. His other hand gently pats Peters head. This time Peter doesn’t smile.

  Neither of them talk as they walk into the church, holding onto each other. It’s oddly quiet compared to the last funeral he went to. Peaceful in a strange way. It shouldn’t be peaceful. It shouldn’t.

  Luckily Peter stays quiet for the whole time. So does Tony. He knows he probably should go up and talk. But what would he say? There was nothing for him to say. Not really. Not that he’d want to share with these people.

  So he lets everyone else go up. Lets Ben talk. Lets Rhodey talk. They’d do a better job of it than him anyway. Despite his better judgement he’d done a speech at his parents funeral - this time he was just going to keep to himself. Stay with Peter.

  Peter needs him now more than ever.

  And Tony needs him.

  As they stand in front of graves Tony can’t help but think about the last time he was here doing this. Standing over a grave. A different grave this time though. And this time it isn’t Mary by his side.

  Peter clings to his jacket tightly. His face is buried in Tony’s arm. The warm presence at his side is oddly comforting. In a way it feels as if Peter is comforting Tony more than Tony is comforting Peter.

  Rhodey stands directly behind Tony, a constant presence. Despite how hard he’s trying to keep calm and collected, it’s impossible to completely hide the sound of him crying - no matter how quiet it is.  

  Once again throughout the entire service Tony doesn’t shed a single tear. Even though inside he’s falling apart he never once drops his calm collected mask. Who knows what would happen if he did. It’s not until he’s back home that things fully start to dawn on him.

  Him and Peter are stood in the guest room that had now become Peter’s room. This was where he would live now. Never again would he go back home with Mary and Richard after a day of messing around with the bots in the lab. Never again.

  Now it is just the two of them.

  Only then as he sets Peter down in the travel cot Mary had given him that he sheds his first tear. Just as he’d expected, as soon as the first has fallen there’s no stopping the rest. They just keep coming relentlessly - a never ending flood. Completely silent but impossible to hide.

  He’s snapped out of his own grief as Peppers hand gently squeezes his shoulder. Without needing to say a word she reaches over and hugs Tony close to her chest. As softly as possible, she presses a kiss to his head.

  Neither of them say a word about Tony’s tears or the ones he can feel rolling off of her cheeks onto his head.

  They don’t need to.

 

  It takes a full week before Tony actually commits to buying a cot. Part of him still expects to see them both coming through the doorway from their honeymoon. Everytime he sees Pepper and Happy he can feel their eyes drilling holes in the back of his head. Questioning him. Interrogating him.

  Eventually he does find himself in front of the computer ordering the furniture though. As usual he goes all out and orders everything a baby could possibly need in their room or anywhere else. Sure, he’s going completely overboard but spending money is one of the few things he’s remarkably good at when it comes to babies.

  When it all arrives Tony instantly sets to work building all the furniture in the bedroom. The huge cardboard packages are carefully leaned against the wall outside the room to give Tony space to work.

  None of the others are around so it’s just Peter and Tony in the room together. Everytime Tony turns around to check on Peter he’s forced to work even harder to try and drill out the deja vu that suddenly overwhelms him. The memories from a few weeks ago that now somehow feel like a lifetime ago.

  “I brought the paint cans in.” Happy announces as he enters the room. Sure enough the three cans of paint that Tony had left in the living room are hanging off of his left arm while his right grips a roller and paint tray.

  Following close behind him is Pepper with two rollers in one hand and a tray in the other. Now there's enough for each of them to use one.

  She has swapped her usual formal clothes for dirty dungarees and a grey t-shirt which already has specks of paint on it. Her ginger hair has been neatly tied up in a plait which suits her considerably more than Tony expected.

  Despite the initial shock of seeing Happy and Pepper casually enter the room uninvited, Tony stays completely nonchalant. Should’ve known they wouldn’t leave him alone.

  “What are you guys doing here?” Tony asks casually as he finishes screwing the dark wood cot together.

  “We’re painting.” Pepper throws one of the rollers over to Tony, catching him off guard. Luckily he just about manages to catch it before it hits him in the face.

  “Got nothing better to do.” Happy shrugs as he bends down and fusses over Peter. As usual the added attention makes Peter erupt into giggles, “Why did you get three paint cans?” Happy frowns at the three huge tins which are still hanging off of his arm.

  “Couldn’t decide on a colour.”

  As proven by the interior of the mansion, Tony has never been one for interior decorating. He’s even worse at choosing colours for the walls which is why the majority of the mansion is white walled.

  When he went on his spending spree he ended up narrowing down the paint colours to blue, red and pale green. The three tins which now sit in front of Happy.

  “Let’s decide on a colour then.” Pepper says excitedly. She quickly grabs the nearest tin which just so happens to be the blue one. Out of nowhere she pulls out a paint brush and carefully dips it into the blue, “Come on.” She nods to Happy and Tony and chuck both of them paintbrushes too.

  Uncertainly Tony grabs the red paint can and copies what Pepper is doing. All three of them start painting a little patch of the room in their colour. Once each of them have a small section of colour about half a meter by half a meter, Pepper steps back and examines the three colours. After a few seconds of pondering she points to Happy’s square of green.

  “Green is the best of the colours.” She announces and sets her paintbrushes down. Neither him or Happy dare argue with her rock solid conviction. She knows better than both of them combined.

 “Let’s get painting then.” Happy chucks Tony a roller and grins happily.

 Painting was one of the last things Tony had been planning on doing but he takes the roller anyway. What order he does the tasks in doesn’t matter. Besides, the paints are already open now so might as well use them.

  As carefully as possible, Happy grabs the green tin and tips a dollop into each of the three trays. As soon as theirs have been filled, Pepper and Tony grab them and move over to one of the unpainted walls. Each of them take one of the three walls that they weren’t sampling paints on and begin coating them with green paint.

  At first Tony keeps checking over on Peter every few seconds but after a while the gaps between the check ups get smaller. Going from seconds to minutes without watching the seven month old. Peter slowly moving to the back of his mind.

  As they finally finish up the three walls, Tony turns around to see Peter’s hand covered in blue paint. Fortunately he doesn’t seem to have put any in his mouth but the paint covered hand is pressed up against the freshly painted walls - leaving a blue handprint on the wall.

  “Peter!” Pepper exclaims and tries to grab Peter’s hand so he doesn’t mess up the wall even more.

  “What happened?” Happy whips around protectively, almost splattering green paint across the wall.

  “He put his hand in the paints.” She sighs and carefully wipes off his hand so he doesn’t ingest any of the paint.

  “We should probably wash him off.” Tony mumbles. It’s not just his hand which is covered in paint, his hair has flecks of paint in too.

  “I’ll do it - you two can finish off the last wall.” She mutters softly and gently picks Peter up. His mucky hand rubs across her dungarees leaving a trail of blue across the clothes. Wearing old clothes was definitely the right call.

  Not wanting to give him any more chances to get his hand into his mouth she quickly dashes out of the room to find the baby bath. To Tony’s knowledge it’s still stowed away in the en suite somewhere but Pepper is more likely to know it’s exact location.

  With her gone Happy and Tony round on the last wall. It’s one of the shorter walls - the same length as the one Pepper had been painting before. With both him and Happy painting it doesn’t take too long to get it fully painted.

  As soon as the wall is painted Happy starts heading towards the perfect blue handprint Peter had left on the wall. Just before he can paint over it Tony catches him and holds a hand up to tell him to stop. Although he frowns, he doesn’t keep on trying to paint over it, letting Tony do whatever it he wants to do.

  Looking at the handprint, Tony reaches over to the red tin of paint. Not really sure what he’s doing, he dips his hand into the red paint like Peter had done. As carefully and precisely as he can, he presses his hand right next to the one that Peter had left. Once his hand pulls away from the wall a large red handprint is left on the wall - dwarfing Peter’s little blue hand print.

 

  “Tony!” Pepper yells, snapping Tony to attention.

  “What is it?” He frowns, one hand still holding onto spoon that’s piled high with ice cream that’s now in front Peters face. Chocolate ice cream is coating the tip of Peter’s nose and smooshed on his cheek. His hands are coated in the ice cream which he is now happily coating his high chair with as he hits the side happily. While Tony wasn’t looking he must’ve grabbed a hold of his hair as now it has been stuck together into dark brown clumps.

  All four of them - Pepper, Tony, Peter and Happy are sat around the breakfast bar with their desserts. A celebration for a job well done now that they're completely finished sorting out Peter's room.

  As usual Peter has been sat in his high chair which you would never guess had been clean ten minutes earlier. Happy is sat on one side of the high chair with a now almost empty bowl of ice cream while Tony is flanking the high chairs other side. Pepper is still serving herself some ice cream so is stuck on the other side of the counter top to the rest of them.

  They’ve all changed out off their dirty overalls now and are each sporting jogging bottoms and sweatshirts. None of them even bothered putting the clothes in the wash - just chucking them straight in the bin. Not much point in keeping them really.

  “You can’t feed him ice cream!” She darts forward and snatches the ice cream bowl out of Tony’s reach.

  “Why not? We’ve been giving him those food packets.” Tony attempts to steal back his ice cream but Pepper is better prepared and manages to whip it out of his reach.

  “Those are nutritious and luke warm. Ice cream is cold and sugary and not meant for babies.” She scowls and begins eating Tony’s ice cream.

  “Hey! That’s mine.”

  “Maybe you should’ve thought about that before feeding it to Peter.” She challenges and eats another spoonful of ice cream right in front of him.

  “He felt left out. We were all eating and he had nothing to eat.”

  “Well now he needs another bath and we have to wipe down the high chair again. This time you have to do it since it’s your fault this happened.” Tony rolls his eyes. Life with Peter seemed to consist almost entirely of baths and cleaning. Repeating the same things over and over perpetually.

  “Come on then kiddo. You heard the lady.” Tony sighs and carefully picks Peter up from the high chair. As soon as he’s free from the seat he begins kicking his legs repeatedly, trying to squirm around and explore. With every day that goes by he gets more and more curious and adventurous. Soon enough he’ll figure out a way to actually move around and then they’re all screwed.

  Once Tony has properly got a hold of Peter in his arms, he’s greeted by a big sticky hand on his face. Chocolate ice cream dribbles down his cheek, matting in with his beard as Peter’s hand smudges all the way along Tony’s face.

  Pepper burst out laughing, staring at the now equally messy Tony. Her laughter spurs Peter to start laughing as well, giggling louder than Tony’s ever heard him. As he laughs he keeps rubbing his hand across Tony’s face. Tony wants to be annoyed but the laughter is oddly contagious.

  “Tony?” The laughter is interrupted by Obadiah entering the mansion.

  It has become strange to see Obadiah around the mansion in recent days. Ever since Peter was born Tony’s godfather has been mysteriously avoiding the mansion whenever possible. Even when he was around at Christmas he made sure to steer well clear of Peter.

  “Obie?” Tony frowns. As he says his name the man rounds the corner and grins widely in greeting. For a second he opens his arms wide to try and pull Tony into a hug until he sees Peter and the ice cream smeared across Tony.

  “What are you doing here?” He must want something to make the journey out here. Otherwise he’d just wait until Tony came into the office like he usually does (whenever might be).

  “Can’t a man come round to visit his godson whenever he wants to?” He asks with false innocence plastered across his face, “I just wanted to check on those bomb designs you said you were working on.”

  “I’ll get them to you by Monday.” Tony says casually - dismissing Obie without any hesitation.

  “Okay then…” Obie nods slowly. His eyes flick over to Peter who is trying to bury his head in Tony’s arm, “I heard about your girl - Marie.” Obadiah says solemnly with his eyes still firmly fixed on Peter.

  “Mary.” Pepper snaps grumpily. She’s never normally curt with Obie but Mary was her friend. They’d gotten surprisingly close during the pregnancy and everything that came after.

  “Right...of course. Such a tragedy. It’s so horrible that things like that happen. Poor Peter’s going to grow up without his mom.”

  “He’ll have his dad.” Happy says softly

  “Never thought I’d see the day you became a dad.” Obie chuckles, finally moving his gaze onto Tony.

  “Wasn’t exactly on the agenda.” It had never been something Tony ever even considered. Not once. In fact after his experiences with Howard it was something he’d tried to avoid. Clearly not well enough though.

  “I’m sure you’ll make a great dad.” Obie steps forward so he’s in touching distance and puts on hand of Tony’s shoulder, “I’ll see you in the office then - you better come by on Monday.” His tone is now joking - trying to lighten the mood somewhat.

  “I’m not making any promises.” Tony calls out as Obie begins leaving the house.

  “Course you aren’t.” He chuckles. The front door slams closed behind him - signalling that he’s finally left the house.

  “I’d been wondering when he was going to show up…” Happy mumbles and retakes his seat at the breakfast bar.

  “You’re not going in on Monday are you.” Pepper asks. Although she’s trying to suppress it, there’s no hiding the amusement in her voice.

  “Got better things to do.” There’s almost always something better to do than go into the office.

  “Come on then Pete. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Tony sighs and starts head out of the room. How many times do you need to bathe a baby in one day.

  “Dada.” Peter exclaims, tugging at Tony’s shirt.

  “Did he just say…?” Pepper leans forward to try and get a better look at Peter.

  “Dada!” Peter shouts out again. Warmth spreads through his chest as he stares down at Peter. His little boy.

  “Well would you look at that.” Happy grins widely.

  “He’s a clever little boy isn’t he.” Pepper coos and bends down to Peter’s level. He starts giggling from all the attention, getting overexcited.

  As cute as it is at first, it gets old pretty quickly. Nonetheless Peter keeps repeating it excitedly, still hoping it’ll get him more attention. No matter how many times he repeats it, it still sends a warmth through him. Of course he doesn’t have any idea what he’s actually saying but it’s endearing nonetheless.

  Keeping Peter in the lab is slowly getting harder and harder. Although DUM-E and Butterfingers do their best to keep an eye on Peter, they’re not really much help. In fact they seem to make things worse. While Peter sits on the floor of the lab, they whiz around him, beeping and encouraging him to move about and chase them. Even with J.A.R.V.I.S watching over Butterfingers and DUM-E, Tony isn’t able to look away for very long.

  As usual, Tony sets Peter down on his belly on the soft carpeted area of the baby zone in the lab. The requests for designs is only getting greater and greater so there’s little time to relax or rest during the day or even during the night.

  “Sir, I think you’ll want to watch Peter.” J.A.R.V.I.S says.

  Looking up Tony can see Peter is pushing up off of the ground with his hands like he always does. His legs are moving along the floor trying to find traction. For a few seconds his legs just slip out under him lying on the floor again. But then after at least five attempts he finally manages to shuffle on his hands and knees after Butterfingers and DUM-E. Both of them chirps happily and race around him - almost as if they understand what just happened.

  He just crawled for the first time.

  He can’t help but wonder if somewhere out there Mary is seeing it.


	5. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's second year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much everyone for over 200 Kudos - I can't believe people actually like this!

**Hold on, to me as we go**  
**As we roll down this unfamiliar road**  
**And although this wave is stringing us along**  
**Just know you're not alone**  
**'Cause I'm going to make this place your home**

**\- Home, Phillip Phillips**

 

~~~

 

  “We've got to be quiet Pete.” Tony hisses to Peter as they step into the air conditioned room. As usual he completely ignores Tony and continues his mindless rambles. 

  Ever since they got out of the car he's been babbling to himself. If only he actually knew how to talk and wasn't just making noise for the sake of it. Whatever he is saying seems to be about the blue teething ring he's currently passing from hand to hand.

  With the exception of Peters babbling, everything is oddly quiet in the care home. Even Tony's footsteps are almost silent as a result of the plush carpets lining the floor. In the distance he can hear chatter and laughter but this corridor is silent. 

  “...Room 211...211…” Tony mutters as he reads the numbers in each of the doors. Most of the doors are closed and locked but a couple are ajar, allowing Tony to peek in.

  Fortunately it doesn't take long to find the room. Even from the other end of the hall Tony can spot the ajar door waiting for them. Well maybe not waiting since they didn't exactly call in advance. More of a spontaneous visit than anything else.

  “Aunt Peggy?” He asks cautiously as he presses his hand against the cool wood of the door. It swings open with ease, allowing Peter and Tony entrance. 

  Despite the hot August weather outside it's almost cold enough to make Tony shiver in the room. Someone must’ve ramped the air conditioning right up to achieve this level of cold. 

  Even Peter goes quiet as they step into the room. Underfoot, plush carpet changes into light wood and the dark walls lighten into a pastel blue colour. The huge windows and light walls make the room look so much bigger than the hall they just came out of. In the center of the room is a large white bed surrounded by pictures. 

  “Anthony Edward Stark.” Peggy scolds him from her bed. She's been propped up by a mountain of pillows so she sat up straight in bed. Her legs disappear beneath the white sheets while her arms sit above, clutching a book. 

  As Tony and Peter approach she sets the book down on the bedside table and pats the chair sitting beside the bed. Quietly he slips into the seat, setting Peter down on his lap gently. 

  “I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to show up. Haven't seen you since I moved into this place. I don't suppose you had anything to do with my new residence?” She hums. Of course Tony had paid to have her moved into a proper care home. The best money could buy. There's no way Peggy would've agreed if he'd asked her so he found other ways to force his money on her. 

  “I've been busy.” 

  “I can see. Suppose it serves me right for not visiting for all those years. Now we're even.” She smiles. Both of them know he forgave her for that years ago. He understands why and doesn't blame her. Not really. It is just another thing Howard ruined. 

  “Even.” He agrees. 

  “So are you going to introduce me to _Busy_?” She nods to Peter. 

  “Peggy meet Peter Parker.” Tony leans forward, bringing Peter closer to Peggy. He clutches onto Tony's fingers nervously.

  “Not yours?” She frowns. 

  “He is, we decided not to make him a Stark though.”

  “I was going to say, he looks just like you. Or at least you when you were a baby.”   She hums thoughtfully. There's a long pause before she speaks again, “Pass him here.” She holds her arms out towards Peter.

  Carefully, Tony picks Peter up and hands him over to Peggy who quickly wraps him up in her arms. She looks him over curiously, staring deep into his eyes and he gurgles and chews his teething ring. 

  “He’s certainly got your eyes.” She hums quietly, “How old is he now?”

  “Almost one. His birthday is next week.” That's part of the reason Tony had chosen to come today. Although he's been avoiding coming here for so long she's still family. Maybe not biological but family nonetheless. One of the only family members he has left.

  “I can’t believe you waited a whole year to tell me!” She grumbles and bounces Peter up and down on her lap. 

  “Well I’m introducing you now.” Tony leans back in his chair. She'll get over it soon.

  “What about the mother?” She probes cautiously. 

  “Dead.” Tony clears his throat. Somehow despite how almost six months have passed the sting has yet to fade.

  “Parker…I recognise that name…” She frowns and relaxes her grip on Peter slightly. With her grip slackened, Peter props himself up in a sitting position, “Have you mentioned the name before? Wasn’t the Parker family the one you stayed with during the holidays?”

  “Yeah, they were.” Tony mumbles. He sits up straight in his chair again, bracing himself. Of course he'd known these questions were going to come but that doesn't make things easier.

  Now that Peter’s sat up he drops his teething ring. It bounces off of Peggy’s leg and drops onto the bed, narrowly missing the edge. Tony pauses, waiting for the crying to start but Peter stays remarkably quiet. Not once has he stayed quiet after dropping the ring.

  Strangely, instead of searching for his ring his chubby fist reaches forward and grabs onto Peggy’s wiry grey hair. Despite how hard he's gripping onto her hair she just smiles. In fact she lets Peter move closer to her so he can hold her tighter. Just asking for pain in Tony’s opinion. More than once he’s been on the receiving end of Peter’s terrifying monkey grip and it’s nothing to laugh at. He’s more than capable of ripping hair right out of your head.

  “Didn’t you say they had two sons? Ben and Richard? Who’s the mother then?” She hums. When he'd told her about them he hadn't actually expected her to remember. Especially not considering her current state of mind. 

  “An old friend - Mary Fitzpatrick. She married Richard after Peter was born. Just before they both died.” He says coldly. Separating himself from the incident. 

  “I’m so sorry Tony. I should’ve been there.” One hand lets go of Peter to rest on Tony's forearm.

  “Yeah well it’s all over now.” Tony slips his arm out of Peggy's grip and leans back in the chair again. 

  “Is it?” She whispers. Her hand is still in place showing no sign of moving.  

  Quietly, Peter lets go of Peggy’s hair. Without him clinging onto her, she moves her arm to try and support him - not that he needs it. He’s really got this sitting thing down pat at this point. Carefully he tries to turn himself around to face Tony instead of Peggy. However with Peggy’s hands supporting him it’s considerably harder than usual. Especially since he’s perched precariously on Peggy’s legs instead of a flat surface.

  “Dada!” He screeches with his hands stretch out towards Tony. His fists open and close desperately. 

  Without hesitation Tony leans forward to grab Peter. It’s become second nature now. Not having Peter in his arms almost feels wrong - especially when Peter's reaching out to him.

  “You’re a good dad.” Her hand reaches out to rest on Tony's cheek. 

  “Of course I am.” He chuffs and readjusts Peter in his arms.

  “I mean it Tony.”

  Silence sits between them. Tony should really say something but he doesn’t really know what to say. There’s no handy quip for the situation. To defuse her sincerity. 

  “Aunt Peggy?” A young blonde woman asks from the doorway, saving Tony from having to respond. 

  “Ah, Sharon!” Peggy smiles and beckons the blonde woman: Sharon, into the room.

  Cautiously she creeps in, clutching a tin of biscuits under one arm. Her clothes are baggy but not baggy enough to quite hide the sight of the gun that’s tucked discreetly in her waistband. Although she appears soft and vulnerable on the surface, Tony recognises the nervous distrusting nature that is at her core. A reflection of himself. 

  “Sharon Carter. I’m Peggy’s niece.” Sharon smiles softly as she approaches Tony.

  Since when did Peggy have a niece? She never mentioned her to Tony. Not once. How was she Peggy’s niece? Did Peggy have a sibling or something? How much does he really know about his own godmother? The woman he calls _Aunt_ Peggy.

  “Tony.” Tony mutters uncertainly.

  His sunglasses and hat are still on which just about disguise him from most onlookers. Of course if someone properly looked they’d find themselves staring straight at Tony Stark but it rarely gets to that point. Passing by unnoticed is one of the many skills he’s picked up from his upbringing. Going unnoticed and commanding attention - opposite ends of the spectrum. 

  “Wow, really? Peggy has told me a lot about you.” Sharon smiles and steps even further into the room. Since Tony and Peter are taking up the chair by the bedside she is forced to take a seat at the foot of the bed. Peggy shifts over in the bed to make more space for Sharon. 

  “That’s funny, she’s never mentioned you before.”

  “That’s Aunt Peggy for you.” She chuckles, “Keeps everything under wraps.” So what does that say about Tony? He's one of the few things she doesn’t keep tightly underwraps. What does that  _mean_?

  “Well I’ll leave now.” Tony reaches forward and grabs the teething ring which is still sitting by Peggy’s legs.

  “You just arrived.” Peggy frowns for a second before regaining her composure.

  “Duty calls.” With Sharon here too it feels like a good time to leave. Wouldn't want to interrupt their family time. 

  “You better not disappear on me again Anthony.” Peggy chides as Tony starts leaving the room.

  "I wouldn't dream of it."

  It's only one week later when they next meet. Much to Tony's surprise she shows up at Peter's birthday party. As usual Pepper has invited her over without bothering to ask or tell Tony.

  It's rare for Peggy to get days away from the care home now so she is milking it for all it's worth. Not only is she staying for Peters birthday but has managed to convince the nurses to let her spend the weekend at the mansion. 

  It's not a particularly big party - mainly because the number of people that even know Peter exists is low. Besides, it's only his first birthday. At this age there's no way he's going to remember it. 

  Although he might not remember the party when he's older, he’ll have the pictures to look back on. For the entirety for the party Happy stays behind the camera. Taking pictures of every little thing. 

  “Come on Happy. Have a drink!” Tony holds out a glass of red wine towards Happy. His favourite. In fact Tony had had it brought specially for him - after all he's the only one who likes the stuff. 

  “Let me do this first.” Happy mumbles and bends down to get a better angle. His subject - Peter - is stood up, clutching onto the sofa right by Peggy's leg. As usual his legs shake weakly in his attempt to support his body.

  “Well done Peter!” Peggy smiles softly and holds her hand out to Peter. Just like DUM-E taught him, he lets go of the sofa and high fives Peggy's frail hand. It had taken a few weeks but DUM-E had been very proud when he finally taught the trick to Peter. Now they never stop doing it, both proud of their accomplishment. 

  “Got it!” Happy exclaims with a grin. Finally he lowers the camera and begins scrolling through the pictures to examine the one he just took. 

  “Let me see.” Pepper says from behind Peggy. Her arms are resting on the back of the couch so she can lean over Peggy's shoulder to look. After a few seconds Happy shuffles forward to show Peggy and Pepper the photo of the high five. 

  With them all distracted Peter drops down onto all fours and makes a beeline towards Tony. Seeing Peter heading his way he sets Happy’s wine on the side and bends down to pick up his son.

  “Up!” He giggles as he reaches upward. 

  “Yeah yeah, come here then.” Tony sighs and hugs Peter close to his chest. The second Peter is in Tony's arms he completely forgets about Tony, turning his attention elsewhere. 

  “Happy!” He giggles and starts stretching towards Happy. Hearing his name, Happy twists around with his camera in hand. 

  “Hey Peter.” He smiles softly and waves with the hand that's not clutching the camera. 

  “Happy!” 

  “I think he wants you Hap.” Pepper nudges Happy gently. 

  “Okay, I'll come sit with you Peter.” Happy sighs but he's smiling. As he begins heading to the couch Peggy catches his arm forcing him to stop. 

  “I'll take the camera now. You're not in any of the pictures.” Peggy gently takes the camera out of Happys hands, not giving him a choice in the matter. Nonetheless Happy agrees and allows himself go step away from the camera to join Tony and Peter. 

  “Pep!” Peter summons Pepper too, wanting everyone to be close to him. Needy kid.

  “How come he knows everyone's name but mine?” Rhodey scowls and crosses his arms from the armchair beside Peggy. His sister, Jeanette, laughs and takes another swig of her beer. 

  “I fear your name might be a bit too complicated for Peter.” J.A.R.V.I.S chirps in. There's a hint of amusement in his voice. 

  At the sound of his voice Tony notices the camera in Peggy's hands lower slightly. Her eyes meet Tony's but no words are exchanged. Within a second the pained look on her face has been completely wiped away for another broad smile. 

  “I'll get him to say my name, just you watch.” Rhodey grumbles. 

  “You should get in the photo James.” Peggy points to the sofa where everyone is now gathered.

  Peter is still happily sat on Tony’s lap with Happy on one side and Pepper on the other. Bowing to Peter's demands, Happy is leaning down so Peter can grab ahold of his nose with his fist. If Happy was any closer there's no doubt Peter would try to put Happy’s nose in his mouth - just like everything else.

  “Come sit here.” Pepper pats the spot beside her encouragingly. 

  “Coming.” He hums quietly as he walks over to the couch and takes his seat next to Pepper.

  Once they're all sat down Peter begins giggling uncontrollably and clapping his hands. 

  “Okay, cheese!” Peggy grins and holds the camera up to her eyes. 

  Instantly everyone moves into position. Tony half smiles and holds Peter closer to him. With Peter no longer gripping his nose, Happy sits up straight and flashes his awkward photo smile. Although Happy has straightened up, Pepper has now bent down. She cautiously places a kiss on Peter’s head which causes him to grin like a mad man and stare up at her.

  One of Tony’s arms slips around the back of the sofa to form two bunny ears behind Rhodey’s head. He must’ve heard Tony’s arm come up behind him because he copies Tony, making bunny ears above Tony’s head. 

  “It’s perfect - you’re going to have to frame that one.” Peggy grins and sets the camera back down. 

  There’s a sudden knock at the door, snapping everyone out of their positions. Just as Pepper is getting up to go answer the door, Jeanette jumps up from her seat.

  “I’ll go, you guys seem comfy there.” She nods to the bundle they’ve inadvertently formed on the couch in an effort to all fit in the photo. 

  Nonetheless, by the time Jeanette is back with the new arrivals everyone has moved out of position once again. Only Pepper stays on the couch beside Tony and Peter, letting Peter curiously crawl onto her lap to try and grab at her shiny silver necklace. 

  “Hey.” May and Ben Parker step into the room. May waves her hand ever so slightly as she speaks, sticking close to Ben’s side. 

  “Nice to see you could both make it.” Rhodey smiles welcomingly.

  “The traffic from the airport was pretty bad but we wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Ben grins broadly and starts heading towards Peter.

  “Cake!” Peter yells as he sees Ben walking towards him. Ben chuckles and pats Peter on the head. 

  “You’re never going to live that down.” May laughs and takes a seat on the couch beside Peggy. 

  A month or so ago when Peter had begun properly learning peoples names Ben and May had come over with a box full of cakes. Naturally Peter had broken into the tin and eaten half of the cupcakes on his own. Not eaten them as such, just smooshed them around and attempted to get as much as possible in his mouth. Most of the cake ended up on the floor.

  Ever since then he’s only referred to Ben as cake - hoping to one day get more cake from his uncle.

  “You know what...I might have a surprise for you Peter.” Ben whispers mischievously. Peter claps excitedly and bounces up and down in Pepper's lap.

  “You wanna take him?” Pepper asks and holds Peter out to Ben. 

  “Sure, where shall I put this?” Ben holds out a large metal tin that once upon a time would’ve held cookies.

  “You can take it through to the kitchen.” She points to the kitchen off to the side as she hands Peter over. 

  “We’ll go in with you.” Happy announces as Ben and May start walking over to the kitchen with Peter. 

  Everyone else gets up before Tony - even Jeanette. In the end Pepper’s glare is the thing that forces Tony to get up from the couch to follow them out.

  He follows behind Peggy who’s just as fast as everyone else despite her age. In fact looking at her now you’d never be able to tell she spends most of her days in a care home.

  The camera is still in her hand - prepared for any situation that might arise. 

  “You wanna look Peter?” Ben asks Peter quietly as he sets the tin down on the counter. Cautiously he reaches down and slowly takes the lid off of the tin. As soon as it’s off Peter starts clapping excitedly, trying to reach down to the tin.

  “Cake!” He giggles and leans out of Ben’s grip, almost falling out of Ben's grasp onto the counter. 

  Inside the tin is a large birthday cake in the shape of the number one. It’s covered in red and blue icing with a variety of different two dimensional zoo animals made from icing scattered across it.

  For a kids birthday cake it looks surprisingly tasty. There aren’t any candles on it yet so the icing is completely undisturbed. Perfect. 

  Beside him, the camera in Peggy’s hand click as she takes a photo. Seeing Tony looking over at her she smiles and hands him the camera. It’s an adorable photo of Peter grinning excitedly at the cake, his fist wrapped around Ben’s thumb.

  With a slight smile he hands her the camera back.

  “There’s still something missing though.” May mumbles as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a single sparkly white and red candle from her pocket, “It’s not a birthday cake without the birthday candle.” 

  Carefully she sticks the candle into what appears to be the center of the irregular cake. It sits comfortably in the head of the icing flamingo. 

  “We should light it now.” Jeanette exclaims and moves slightly closer to Peter and the cake. 

  “Are we waiting on anyone else?” May asks as she looks around at the group of them gathered in the room.

  “No, the others aren’t able to make it. This is everyone.” Pepper nods to the group of them.

  “Well then, I don’t see why not.” Ben mumbles. With one hand still holding onto Peter he starts rustling through his pockets in search of a lighter of some kind.

  “There are some matches further along the breakfast bar.” J.A.R.V.I.S points out after giving Ben a chance to search through each of his pockets.

  “Thanks J.A.R.V.I.S.” Ben mutters uncertainly.

  It’s no secret he’s still not sure about J.A.R.V.I.S’ presence. Most of the time you can forget he’s there until he speaks, then it’s hard to forget about his constant presence about the mansion. 

  “You’re welcome Mr. Parker.” J.A.R.V.I.S says as warmly as is possible.

 _Trying to win him over, huh._  

  Happy quickly reaches over and grabs the matches from the side to hand to Ben. By the time Ben has turned around to try and find the matches himself, Happy has already pressed them into his hand. 

  Not wanting to waste any more time, Ben strikes the match and carefully brings it down to the candle wick. A tiny yellow-orange flame flickers atop the wick. Dancing gleefully atop the cake. 

  Just as Ben bends down to help Peter blow out the candle, Peter stops and turns around to search the crowd. Tony watches as his eyes glance past Tony in his impatience.

  “Dada?” Peter calls out nervously, “Dada?” 

  “I’m here Pete.” Tony steps out past the others to stand in view of Peter. His hands instantly reach out towards Tony, stretching out desperately.

  “He’s a daddy’s boy.” May smiles and steps back to let Tony take a space in front of the cake with Peter and Ben. Even with Tony standing next to him he isn’t happy so Tony reaches over and carefully takes Peter from Ben into his arms. Peter quietly nuzzles against Tony’s neck, holding Tony close. 

  “Come one Pete, we gotta blow out the candle.” Slowly Peter leans back to face the cake once again. Carefully Tony bends down so they’re both at the same height as the cake, “Can you blow the candle out?” Tony whispers so only Peter can hear.

  When Peter doesn’t react Tony lightly blows on the candle so it flickers but doesn’t blow out completely. Cautiously, Peter tries to copy him and blow out the candles. Although he’s got tiny lungs a slightly puff of air comes out causing the candle to flicker once again. At the same time Tony blows on the candle properly making it completely blow out.

  As soon as the candle has been fully extinguished Pepper and Peggy start clapping loudly. Their clapping sparks everyone else into action, even Peter. As he claps he looks up at Tony curiously. Tony smiles down at him, watching as he breaks out smiling once again. 

  “Well done Pete.” Tony whispers under his breath as he presses a kiss onto Peter’s head, “You did it.” Peter giggles and nuzzles into Tony again.

  “Now we get cake!” Happy exclaims excitedly.

  “If someone goes and gets a knife I’ll cut it.” Pepper announces. She steps past everyone to take a spot beside Tony and Peter.

  “I’ll grab one.” Rhodey turns around and walks over to the knife block. Without bothering to look too closely he grabs the closest knife and passes it to Pepper over the counter. 

  “Thank you.” She smiles softly. Carefully she positions the knife and slowly cuts it into ten different pieces. In spite of the irregular shape, she manages to get almost perfect pieces like usual. As soon as she’s cut a piece she places it on one of the many little plates that are stacked in front of her. There are two pieces left in the tin by the time she’s finished dolling them all out to everyone.

  “This is an amazing cake May.” Happy mumbles with his mouth full. Somehow he’s already eaten half of the cake before Tony has even been handed his piece. 

  “I didn’t make it thankfully or we’d all be eating charred poison. Ben’s the chef not me - I just helped him cut all the animals out of the icing.” She chuckles as she bites into her own slice of cake.

  “Well it’s very tasty Ben.” Peggy smiles as she tucks into the cake.

  Just as Tony goes to eat his own he sees Peter’s hand already grabbing ahold of the cake. It’s clutched fiercely in his fist, slowly being squeezed out of his hand back onto the plate. Seeing Tony watching him, he hurriedly shoves his fist into his mouth. The cake smudges across his face and drops down his front onto the floor.

  “Great…” Tony sighs. He tries to take a bite of the crumbled up cake but Peter is already going for another mouthful.

  “He’s got a sweet tooth.” Peggy laughs and tries to brush the crumbs off of Peter’s cheek. There’s not really much point as it is once again covered in crumbs a couple of seconds later when he tries to force another fistful into his mouth. 

  “He really does.”

  It’s not until the next day that Tony finally manages to get a taste of the cake. It’s a good thing Pepper saved two slices of cake as that slice effectively belonged to Peter. 

  When Peter is asleep in his room Tony slips out to go grab a slice of cake from the kitchen. It hadn’t originally been the plan but while he was brewing his coffee he saw it on the side and couldn’t help himself. 

  “Peckish?” Peggy asks curiously from the side of the room.

  “Just topping up on coffee really.” He gestures to the mug he's currently about to set down in front of the coffee machine, "The cake was an afterthought." 

  Neither of them speak as Tony turns on the coffee machine to start brewing his coffee. As it's filling up she slowly walks over to join him, the camera still in her hand. Currently it's stopped on the picture Happy took earlier of him high fiving Peggy. 

  “He’s a good kid.” She mutters once Tony has his coffee.

  “He is.”

  "I know you won't believe me, you never did, but Howard would be proud." It's just more of the same old rubbish she's been spouting out for years

  "I don't need his approval." He's not a kid anymore. Not the wide eyed child who would wait for Howard in the lab every night - hoping he wouldn't have to be alone anymore. Not the kid who wanted bedtime stories and warm milk. The one who cried when all the cameras were trained on him.

  "Of course you don't - you never did. That doesn't mean you don't deserve it though."

 

  In the end, it’s not just Peggy staying over in the mansion. While Jeanette, May and Ben leave the next morning, Rhodey decides to stick around as well. It's one of the perks of having him based in the US now. Having him around ends up being incredibly useful. As amazing as Happy and Pepper are at looking after Peter while Tony is busy there's no one quite as good as Rhodey. 

  “Peter can you say Uncle Rhodey?” Rhodey coos at Peter. 

  He’s taken his spot on the couch, cross legged so he can properly look down at Peter who is stood up and clinging to the couch cushion for support. His legs shake as he tries his best to stay stood up. With both hands holding onto the couch he squats up and down excitedly.

  “Rho Rho!” He screeches happily - stumbling over his words.

  “Close enough.” Rhodey grins and ruffles Peters hair, “See, I told you my name wasn’t too hard.” He calls to Tony across the room. 

  “I think you’ll find that it wasn’t me that said that, it was J.A.R.V.I.S.”

  At the sound of Tony’s voice Peter slowly turns himself around to try and look at his dad. In order to turn around his hands have to let go of the couch forcing him to stand up on his own.

  “Whatever, you created him so you might as well have said it.” Rhodey grumbles.

  “In J.A.R.V.I.S’ defense he didn’t actually say your name - he said Rho Rho which, last time I checked, isn't your name.” Tony mumbles as he leafs through the pages of the book he’s currently reading.

  Over the edge of the book he keeps an eye on Peter, waiting for him to fall over and start crying. It's bound to happen any second now. It always does.

  “Well technically Rhodey isn’t my name either.” He crosses his arms, “Besides, last time I checked your name wasn’t dada.” 

  “Dada!” Peter shouts over Rhodey and steps forward towards Tony. Without any hesitation Tony throws the book down and jumps forward towards Peter. In an instant his arms are up, ready to catch Peter. However this time Peter doesn’t fall. In fact he takes another step. It’s wobbly and far from stable but it’s a step. A proper step.

  As Rhodey and Tony watch on dumbfounded Peter keeps going. Making his way over to Tony as fast as his little legs can take him. The closer he gets to Tony the more his face crumples up in concentration. His nose wrinkles up tightly as he focuses as hard as possible on the motions involved in walking.

  Right before he reaches Tony he starts stumbling - tripping over his own feet. Within the second Tony is right by his side, holding him up before he can crash into the ground.

  As he slams into Tony he begins giggling loudly. He buries his face into Tony shirt which stifles the sounds of his giggling slightly. 

  “Well done Peter!” Tony kisses his head softly, pressing Peter close to him.

  “I can’t believe I was actually here for his first steps! For once I didn’t miss out on a first!” Rhodey says triumphantly. He jumps up from the couch and rushes over to Peter and Tony, “I always said he’d be a daddy's boy.” Rhodey nudges Tony slightly.

  “He’s going to be a nightmare now isn’t he?” Tony chuckles in disbelief. 

  “You bet. Now you can never get away from him.” 

  Life quickly gets considerably more difficult. If he thought he had to pay attention in the lab before he was sorely mistaken. That was easy compared to keeping track of toddling Peter.

  Although for a while his walking is a mess that always ends in tears, he quickly improves. With help from DUM-E and Butterfingers he's soon well versed enough to be able to toddle around the mansion without assistance from any one. No longer does Tony have to trail along behind Peter, waiting for him to fall. 

  DUM-E and Butterfingers enjoy the new development more than anyone else. With Peter on two legs instead of four they’re games of chase are much faster paced. They no longer need to slow down for Peter to catch up as they run circles around Tony. 

  By the time Christmas rolls around he’s good enough on his feet to practically run throughout the mansion. Although there are still some stumbles for the most part he’s steady on his feet.

  When people start knocking on the door it’s not Pepper who goes to greet them anymore as even she is outrun by Peter. He might not be able to open the door but that doesn’t stop him from running there every time. 

  “It’s your turn to open the door!” Pepper shouts from the living room.

  Peters new found enthusiasm seems to have been sapped straight from Pepper's supply. Now she forces Tony to deal with all the greetings. Sometimes he wonders why he bothers paying her - at least until he looks at his calendar and emails. No way is going back to dealing with those. 

  “Fine fine…” Tony sighs and gets up off of the couch to follow Peter over to the door. Clearly he takes too long for Peter's liking since it isn't long until Peter is shouting at him to hurry up.

  “Dada dada dada!” He shouts out from the front door. 

  “I’m coming.” He grumbles but doesn’t bother hurrying up. He’ll get there when he gets there and Peter will have to live with it. 

  When he finally arrives at the door Peter starts pulling at his legs excitedly. Just to spite him Tony purposely moves even slower. Taking as long as possible to open the door.

  By the time he opens the door Peter is practically bursting with excitement. However when he actually opens the door Peter hides behind his legs nervously. 

  “Tony! I’m surprised to see you opening the door for a change.” Roberta pulls him into a tight hug the second he opens the door.

  “Yeah well Pepper wanted a break from opening doors. She’s waiting in the living room.” Tony mutters. He tries to move out of the way so they can see Peter but every time he moves, Peter moves with him.

  “Well well well, who do we have here?” Rhodey’s dad, Terrence, mumbles as he bends down to get a better look at Peter. All of his excitement from earlier has faded as he grips onto Tony’s legs even tighter. His eyes are positioned so he can peek through Tony’s legs while still hiding his face as much as possible.

  “He was very excited earlier.”

  “Aww, he’s a shy little thing.” Roberta coos and bends down just like Terrence. 

  “Mom, dad - lets give him some space.” Rhodey tries to pull his parents out of the way but Roberta just slaps his hands away.

  “I know exactly what he needs - he needs to try some of mama Rhodes famous spaghetti! He was such a little dear last christmas, this time he’s big enough to try some.” She exclaims. As she does so she stands up, and backs away.

  “You know where the kitchen is, you can go straight through if you want to.” Tony gestures to the general direction of the kitchen. Nothing's moved so they should still be able to find the kitchen.

  “Has everyone else arrived yet?” Terrence asks as Roberta begins heading off to the kitchen with her stuff. 

  “Not yet, they should be here any minute now though.” 

  “Good good. I haven’t seen Kara and John since the funeral.” Terrence mumbles. None of them had. Well, Ben and May have probably seen them but they’ve kept their distance from Tony and Peter. Probably for the best…

  With Terrence and Roberta out of the way, Rhodey finally comes into the house. Apparently Jeanette isn’t coming this year so this is the entirety of their group. 

  As he walks into the house he pulls Tony into a slightly looser hug than Roberta. 

  “It’s good to see you again Tones.”

  “You too.” Tony smiles slightly as he steps back from Rhodey.

  “Do you remember me Peter?” Rhodey asks Peter. He keeps his distance unlike his parents but still Peter hides himself behind Tony’s legs.

  Trying not to startle him, Tony reaches over and pats his head gently. As Tony pats him he peeks out slightly more, gathering some courage from the gesture. 

  “You remember Uncle Rhodey right?” Tony whispers to Peter. He considers the name for a few seconds before nodding slowly.

  “Rho Rho.” He mumbles, stepping out from behind Tony a little.

  “Yeah! That’s it.” Rhodey grins and ruffles Peters hair gently. Despite his shyness Peter can’t help but grin. 

  “Shall we go back to Pepper and Happy?” For the first time Happy has decided to stick around over the Christmas season.

   _The first Christmas without…_

  “Let’s go.” Rhodey spurs them all forwards. 

  Some life has returned to Peter and he starts running off on his own back to the living room. However as soon as he gets there he dives behind Pepper, using her as his new shield. Still, it's somewhat of an improvement. He doesn’t even move away when Rhodey takes a seat beside Pepper. Instead he holds out, using Pepper as a shield which he pokes his head around every now and again.

  Just as he seems to start warming up to the new company there’s another knock at the door. This time Peter doesn’t get up to run over. Although, since he’s clinging onto Pepper, Tony is once again forced to go open the door. 

  Not wanting to keep them all waiting, he forces himself up off of the couch to go to the door. As he gets up Peter suddenly peeks out from behind Pepper and reaches out towards him.

  “Dada!” He calls out quietly.

  “You stay with Pepper, I’m just going to open the door.” Peter seems to understand enough of what Tony says to know to stay with Pepper as he doesn’t start trying to follow Tony. 

  He's not surprised to find Kara, John, May and Ben behind the door. They'd always planned to travel together since all four of them live in Queens. It wouldn't make sense for them to travel separately.

  "It's nice to see you again Tony." May greets him first. Although they're probably the least acquainted of everyone here she's always been incredibly warm. They might not know each other well but it's hard not to like the woman. A perfect match for Ben. Already a Parker through and through.

  "Nice to see you too." He smiles. It's not hard to sense the tension resonating from Kara and John. This is the first time he's been interacted with them without Richard or Mary there as intermediates. Is it supposed to be this awkward?

  "I'd kill for some food right about now. Haven't eaten since we left Queens." Ben chuckles forcefully. 

  "It's almost ready now, not long to wait." Tony steps out of the way to let the four of them into the house. 

  Although tension between Tony and Richards parents doesnt seem to falter, Peter is quicker at warming up. By the time they start to sit down for dinner he’s already back to his old self. When they try to sit him down to eat he refuses to stand still for even a second. It seems DUM-E and Butterfingers have been bad influences.

  Against Tony’s better judgement he lets Rhodey convince him to bring DUM-E and Butterfingers out of the lab for christmas day. It goes about as well as Tony expected it to go. Presenting Peter with presents, cakes and the bots was never going to end well for them. 

  Despite how many new toys Peter gets gifted over the holiday, he still only plays with DUM-E and Butterfingers the whole time. With the exception of the ten seconds he spends looking at the new present, he acts like none of them even exist. Buying the kid anything is pointless at this point. 

  As much as the bots enjoy being up in the mansion for Christmas they actually seem more excited when Tony and Peter take them back down to the lab around New Years. The lab will always be their home - even if they don’t actually help out anymore. 

  “Try swapping the iron for aluminium.” Tony mumbles thoughtfully, lost in his project. Even if DUM-E and Butterfingers don't help out, J.A.R.V.I.S will always be here to help Tony out. At least he has one person he can rely on.

  Holograms flicker on the table in front of him. So far all the simulations for the new missile prototype have been failures. No matter how many changes he makes it always seems to go wrong.

  He knows exactly what Pepper would say - that he should go to bed and sleep on it - but that’s never going to happen. Before he could easily keep up with the workload but having Peter around has definitely put a hinder on his productivity. He loves the kid, he really does, but even he can’t stay on top of Peter’s whereabouts while also working. 

  Think about Peter, where is he now…? It’s been a while since he heard a peep out of him - something that only happens when he sleeps nowadays. There’s not even been a noise from DUM-E or Butterfingers.

  Looking around the room he finds the room completely empty. Not a single form of life anywhere to be seen. Both bots and Peter have completely vanished. How long had they been gone?! Tony hadn’t even noticed. 

  “Peter?” Tony shouts out, hoping he’ll actually respond to Tony’s calls. When there’s no pitter patter of feet on the floor, Tony stands up from his chair. Once again his eyes sweep the area searching for any sign of Peter or the bots.

  Directly behind Tony’s seat is the storage room door is slightly ajar, allowing access to the room where Tony stores all of the things from the old Stark mansion. Weirder still, it hasn’t opened at all since the day Peter was born. It definitely hasn’t been opened today. 

  “Peter?” Tony calls out again. There’s a sudden clatter from the room beyond the door, “J.A.R.V.I.S did you open the door for them?” Tony scowls, already knowing the answer. Only one person could have opened it for them. 

  “They were trying to get into the room earlier. I scanned the contents and found nothing that could be harmful to any of them so I deemed it safe enough for them to enter.” 

  “You should’ve told me - almost gave me a heart attack.” Tony sighs. One day this kid really is going to give him a heart attack.

  “I apologise. I’ll take that into consideration and alert you if anything like this ever happens again.” J.A.R.V.I.S mutters apologetically. Tony almost feels bad for him. Almost but not quite.

  Considerably less stressed out than before, Tony pushes open the storage room and steps inside. Sure enough Peter is sat on the floor, surrounded by DUM-E and Butterfingers who are putting their upgrades to mischievous use. Instead of helping Tony around the lab like they were designed to they’re using those upgrades to completely empty out the boxes. All the bits and pieces from inside the boxes now surround Peter, forming a ring of junk around him. 

  However Peter doesn’t appear to care in the slightest. In fact he doesn’t seem to have even noticed what DUM-E and Butterfingers are doing. Instead he’s playing with the lopsided grey rabbit that Tony had seen in the box labelled Anthony. 

  For a second Tony worries that he’s going to pull the poor thing apart but nothing of the sort is happening. Instead Peter is tenderly playing with the old teddy, stroking it’s worn down ears gently. Most of Peter’s toys are new so there’s never been any worry that he’ll destroy them despite his often rough methods of playing. Never has he played with a toy as tenderly as he’s playing with the grey rabbit. 

  “What cha doing here Peter?” Tony bends down and crosses his arms.

  DUM-E and Butterfingers instantly sense Tony’s annoyance and waste no time zipping out of the room. Failing miserably at playing innocent. 

  “Dada!” Peter giggles and holds the rabbit out to Tony.

  “What have you got?” 

  “ ‘Abbit!” He pats the rabbit’s head softly. As Tony reaches forward to take it from him Peter snatches it back. He holds it tightly to his chest where Tony can’t reach it. 

  “Come one kiddo, we’ve gotta leave this room now.” Tony sighs and tries to grab the rabbit again to no avail.

  “No!” He scowls and turns away from Tony grumpily. 

  “Fine fine. You can take it with you.” He sighs, giving up. If possible he’d like to avoid any tears tonight, “We’re taking you up though.”

  Thankfully Peter doesn’t kick up when Tony picks him up. Although the room is a tip because of DUM-E and Butterfingers Tony decides to just leave. It’s a problem for another time. Right now it’s late and he just wants to put Peter down to sleep.

  As they leave the storage room DUM-E and Butterfinger attempt to slink out of view. Trying their best to hide behind one of the workstations but they’re still clearly in view. 

  “I can see you both you know! Don’t try to hide. I haven’t forgotten about you but I’ll have to deal with the pair of you later.” Tony points at both of them sternly. 

  “I’ll keep an eye on them until you return, sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S says diligently.

  “Good - don’t let them through any locked doors this time.” Tony certainly hasn’t forgotten J.A.R.V.I.S’ role in all of this mess but for now he'll forgive him, “I’ll be back later.”

  Outside the lab it’s surprisingly quiet. Most of the time you can still hear the TV blaring while Happy tries to entertain himself but tonight there’s nothing. Where has Happy gone? If Tony was more awake he would probably care a lot more but right now he doesn’t have that energy to spare.

  Instead he heads straight over to Peter’s room. Once he’s inside he walks over to the chest of draws and hunt through the draws for a pair of pyjamas for Peter. The first ones he finds are a pair of Captain America pyjamas - a joke gift from Peggy. Apparently they’re almost identical to a pair that Tony had always worn growing up. 

  While he’s dressing Peter he stays quiet, happy enough playing with his rabbit, but as soon as Tony tries to put him down in his cot he begins kicking up.

  “NO, NO, NO, NO!” He shouts out. With every 'no' he kicks out at Tony, trying to free himself from his grip.

   _It’s one of_ **_these_ ** _nights,_ Tony sighs internally.

  “You have to go to bed Peter! I’m letting you keep the rabbit but you need to go to sleep.” 

  “NO!” God Tony was really starting to hate that word.

  “What do you mean no?”

  “NO!” He scowls angrily.

  “Fine, fine. We’ll find something else.” Tony gives up. There must be someway to get him to sleep without him screaming the place down.

  Through the open doorway Tony spots his own room. The door is ajar so Tony can just about see his own bed through the gap. Hmmm...maybe…

  “Okay Peter, let’s try something new.” He mumbles hopefully.

  With Peter still clutching a hold of the rabbit for dear life, Tony walks over to his own room and takes a seat on his bed. Since he was working in his lab he isn’t wearing shoes so he doesn’t need to take anything off before he lies down on the bed. He probably should take his jeans off but he’s just lying down - he’s not actually sleeping. 

  Once he’s fully lying down he lays Peter down on the pillow beside him. They’re both on top of the covers with the rabbit toy filling the space between them. Knowing Peter he’d just kick the covers off if Tony tried to cover him. 

  Surprisingly laying them down on Tony’s bed actually seems to work. Instead of screaming he actually lies down next to Tony. His hands fiddle with the rabbit’s ear but he’s not fighting to sit up and escape.

  It takes longer than Tony would like but eventually Peter’s eyes begin closing. His hand falls loose, no longer fiddling with the rabbit's ears.

  Even when they close Tony doesn’t trust that he’s actually asleep. Part of him worries that any movement, no matter how small, on his part will cause him to suddenly wake up and all their good work to be undone. No, he’d rather just lay here for a while...just for a little while.

  Before he realises what’s happening, he finds his own eyes closing. Sleep slowly taking him over as it already has to Peter. The soft breathing of Peter beside him certainly isn’t helping him stave off the sleepiness. 

  Maybe just ten minutes of sleep…

  Ten minutes quickly turns into ten hours. Longer than Peter has ever slept consistently before. Normally at this point he’s already woken up and begun screaming loud enough to wake everyone in the mansion. This time even when Tony wakes up after ten hours Peter is showing no signs of waking up. 

  “Wakey wakey sleepy head.” Pepper smirks from the foot of the bed. 

  Still half asleep, Tony rubs his eyes and slowly sits up. As Tony shifts Peter begins to stir. For a second Tony thinks he’s going to wake up but after gurgling a little he goes straight back to sleep.

  “What is it?” Tony grumbles and tries to cover his eyes pathetically.

  “Obadiah called. He’s scheduled us in for an event in New York next week.” She says with a slight smile playing across her lips.

  “There’s no way of wiggling out of it?” Tony asks hopefully. If anyone could think of an excuse to get him out of this it would be her.

  “Unfortunately not. Set in stone - no wriggle room this time.” She bites her lip, leafing through the pieces of paper on her clipboard.

  “How long is it?” He resigns. In fairness, he hasn’t attended a meeting in weeks, he knew an inescapable event like this was going to show up at some point. 

  “A week.” She sighs.

  “A week!”

  “Actually it’s probably closer to two weeks.” She mutters apologetically.

  His eyes flicker over to Peter who is still sound asleep beside him. The rabbit is still firmly held to his chest. He's got a protective head lock around the old teddy. 

  “What about Peter? What do we do with him?” Up until this point they’d managed to avoid leaving him for extended periods of time. The longest they’d really been separated since Mary’s death was a day. Heck, they’d slept under the same roof every single night since their deaths. And now he was supposed to just leave him here for almost two weeks?!

  “Well Happy isn’t going to be coming - I’m sure he wouldn’t mind looking after Peter. Rhodey’s quite busy but I’m sure he’d be able to pop in every now and again to give Happy a break.” Pepper bites her lip and hugs the clipboard against her chest.

  There’s no way that’s going to happen. 

  “I’m not leaving Peter here.” His mind thinks back on all the times Howard and Maria left him behind in the mansion with only Jarvis for company. It doesn’t matter who you’re leaving them with - it’s still abandonment. 

  “Well we can’t exactly take him into the hotel with us. People are going to realise you have a kid pretty quickly if you start carrying him into hotel rooms with you.” Pepper sighs.

  “There must be a way.” Tony pauses and tries to think of every possible solution to the issues. Somewhere there’s a solution which doesn’t involve abandoning Peter for the week or revealing him to the vultures. Somewhere. He knows it. There always is.

  “There’s no other way - I’ve considered everything.”

  “Not everything.” Tony mumbles, an idea coming to mind.

  There’s _always_ another way. 

  A week later him Peter and Pepper all get off of the jet together. Thankfully there’s a car waiting for them on the very outer edge of the runway - well out of the way of the other planes. Someone must’ve driven it here but they’ve left by the time they all get off the jet.

  It’s not like the normal cars Tony rents out. Instead of something fast and flashy he has ordered a car much like the one he uses back at the mansion, a bulky four seater car. Something that can blend in with the other cars. It’s been forever since Tony’s properly driven around in one of his flashy fast cars...he can’t wait until Peter’s older and doesn't need garbage cars like this because of his car seat. 

  Tony lets Pepper carry Peter this time as they step off of the jet. All of them walk over to the car but Tony slides into the driver’s seat while Pepper and Peter move towards the back of the car.

  There’s a black car seat already strapped into the car - a mirror of the one they have in their own car back at the mansion. Since it’s the same as the one they have it doesn’t take long for Pepper to have him strapped into the back seat. 

  Still he won’t let go of ‘Abbit. Ever since that night the old rabbit toy has been practically fused to Peter. Everywhere he goes the rabbit goes. It’s a miracle the thing is still intact. Although Peter is remarkably gentle with it, it’s still worn and battered to hell. 

  With Peter and ‘Abbit strapped safely in, Pepper closes the door and slides into the passenger seat beside Tony. Once she’s strapped herself in she reaches over and turns on the radio sending pop music blaring through the car. Instantly Peter’s hands fly up to try and cover his ears. 

  “Sorry sorry.” She apologises hastily and quickly turns to volume right down to a respectable volume. Even so Peter’s hands stay glued to his ears uncertainly. 

  “You know where you’re going?” Pepper asks as Tony starts up the engine. 

  “Course.” Tony says confidently. He’s fairly sure he knows. Maybe. It can’t be too hard right, it’s just navigating Queens. He’s been here a million times before, although being drunk most of the time certainly didn’t help his sense of direction. 

  At first he heads in the right direction but after half an hour he has absolutely no clue where he is. Certainly nowhere near their actual destination. Nowhere he’s been before. At least he doesn’t think he’s been here before...it's hard to tell now.

  “You have no idea where you’re going, do you?” Pepper rolls her eyes smugly.

  “I know.” Tony says as he clears his throat, “It’s this way.” Tony quickly makes a left turn sending them even deeper into the messy maze of roads. 

  “Take a right here.” Pepper mumbles, taking control of the situation. At this point he’s in no place to argue with her. If they keep following his mental map they’re just going to end up getting even more lost. 

  They can’t have been too lost since it only takes a couple of minutes to get to their destination when Pepper takes over the directions. Although considering the airport is actually in Queens they didn’t really have far to travel in the first place. 

  “There we go. Wasn’t that hard.” Pepper sighs as they finally pull up in front of the block of apartments.

  “Whatever.” He grumbles and unclips his belt.

  Having sensed their arrival, Peter begins whining. He tugs uselessly at the straps holding him in place as he wiggles about in his seat. 

  “We better get him out.” Pepper mutters as she starts unclipping herself. 

  “You go do that.” Tony starts rusting through the glove box for his trusty hat and sunglasses. While he puts them on Pepper grabs Peter and ‘Abbit from the back of the car. As soon as he’s unclipped he stops whining and goes quiet once again. 

  No one pays them any attention as they walk up the steps to the apartment building to ring the doorbell. Why would they? Like this they don’t call any attention to themselves. Oh they joy of being disguised.

  “Should we ring again?” Tony mumbles impatiently when no one comes down to answer the door for them.

  “Leave it - I’m sure they heard. It takes time for them to respond so just give them a moment.” Pepper scolds him.

  Although Tony rolls his eyes she ends up being right. Not even thirty seconds later the door to the apartment building opens. Ben Parker stands in the doorway, ushering them inside.

  “Cake!” Peter shouts out as he sees Ben standing in front of him.

  “Hello again Peter.” Ben coos and pats Peter’s head softly. 

  “Mind if we come inside?” Pepper asks politely. She carefully readjusts Peter’s position on her hip so he sits slightly higher. 

  “Of course. I’ve put on some food for us all. I left May watching over it but if we leave her with it for too long she’ll probably end up burning it.” Ben chuckles and moves out of the doorway.

  They follow him through the building uncertainly. None of them have been here before, so this is completely new ground. Without his guidance they’d have no idea where they were supposed to be going. Fortunately they aren’t too high up as they only need to go up one flight of stairs. Judging by the height of the building this place has quite a few flights of stairs. 

  “It’s great to see you all again!” May greets them warmly as they all step over the threshold into their apartment. 

  Despite it being very small it feels oddly spacious. Clearly the space has been well utilised. Most of it is open plan, allowing the living room to flow into the kitchen with ease. There might not be a dining room but they don’t actually need one. The table they have in the kitchen is all they need in terms of dining. Tony might be used to larger houses but this is, in some ways, nicer. No glaring empty spaces of nothingness. 

  “It’s so nice of you to allow us to stay here. Tony didn’t want to leave Peter behind and we couldn’t exactly go to the hotel with him.” Pepper explains. 

  “It’s fine, you’re a part of the family. All of you are always welcome here.” May looks pointedly at Tony.

  A part of their family. Not something he’d been expecting to hear. Not how he’d expected his life to turn out when Mary first brought him back to the Parker’s for that first Christmas. Then again, nothing about this life is as he was expecting. he has a feeling that things are just going to get stranger from here on out. 

  “Thank you.” Pepper nods gratefully and sets Peter down on the ground. Even though she sits him down on the ground, within seconds he’s up and on the move again. Now he can walk there’s no stopping him. 

  With all of their furniture being closer together it’s easier than usual for Peter to navigate himself about the space. He wastes no time running about the place to try and get his bearings. Ben and May watch on in amazement and he tears through the room on his tiny little legs. 

  “I’d forgotten how fast he can be.” Ben chuckles in amazement. 

  “It’s a nightmare.” Tony sighs.

  “Don’t let him fool you - he loves it really.” Pepper pats his arm and takes a seat on the couch. Leaving Ben to finish off the food, May moves to the living room to join Pepper.

  With both of them on the couches, Peter begins trying to climb up and join May on the couch beside Pepper. After a couple of failed attempts May carefully lifts him up and sets him down on the couch next to her. Once he’s sat down he pats the spot beside him to try and summon Tony over to him. 

  “I don’t, it’s annoying.” Tony mutters defensively. He quietly takes a seat beside Peter, leaving Pepper all alone on her couch, not that she cares.

  “Like how DUM-E and Butterfingers are annoying?” She arches her eyebrows questioningly. 

  “Whatever.” 

  “Who’s this then?” May asks Peter softly. She’s pointing at the rabbit teddy - not quite daring to touch it so hovering her finger a couple of centimeters away from it. 

  “ ‘Abbit!” Peter lifts up the teddy and practically shoves it in her face so she can look at it.

  “Wow, he looks very well loved.” 

  “He’s an old toy.” Tony explains. Assuming it was one of Tony’s old toys it must be really old now. Hence why it’s so worn. 

  “Peter won’t let go of it. It’s always with him nowadays.” Pepper smiles warmly. 

  “Aww that’s adorable. Do you love ‘Abbit Peter?” May asks quietly. Although Peter nods Tony wonders whether he actually understands. Does he actually love his rabbit toy? Does he love Tony? Did he love Mary?

  “Food is ready.” Ben’s voice drags Tony out of his thoughts. 

  “Shall we sit at the dining room table?” Pepper mumbles, looking at the small kitchen table to the side. There are four chair tucked under it, enough for each of them minus Peter.

  “There should be enough space. If Peter sits on someone’s lap then there are enough chairs for us all. It’s not like he’s quite old enough to sit on his own anyway.” Ben explains as he sets the plates of food down on the table. 

  “Sounds like a plan.” Pepper leads the way over to the kitchen. Both her and May take their seats first, tucking their chairs in to leave no space for Peter. That must mean Peter’s going to be sitting on Tony’s lap then. Without needing to be told, Peter toddles straight over to Tony. He doesn't even consider anyone else. 

  “We’re going to eat now kiddo so you’re going to have to sit still.” Tony mumbles as he lifts Peter up onto his lap. Once again Peter nods but he does no such thing. In fact he seems to take joy in wriggling as much as physically possible. 

  Even when they start eating he doesn’t sit still. He’ll stop moving for just about long enough for Tony to spoon some food in before resuming his wriggling. Although he tries telling him to sit still again it doesn’t sink in. In the end he just ends up living with it. It’s easier than trying to force him to stay still.

  It ends up being one of the longest meals of Tony’s life. Oddly enough, he doesn’t really mind. As incredibly long as it is, it's actually surprisingly interesting. As it turns out, he actually has more in common with May than he’d at first thought. 

  “So you speak italian then?” She asks between mouthfuls.

  “Yeah - my mom’s family were italian so she decided to teach me.” Mary must’ve told her or something because not many people know.

  “Do you?” Pepper frowns setting her knife and fork down, “You never told me.” Tony shrugs nonchalantly.

  In truth he only ever told Mary and Rhodey. It’s not that he was trying to keep it a secret for any reason but it’s not the sort of thing that comes up in conversation. Besides he’s not really one for sitting down and spilling his life story. Not even to Pepper.

  “I’m italian too - well my family were. I’m probably like your mother. Family moved over from italy when I was very little.” May mumbles thoughtfully.

  “Yeah, sounds pretty similar.”

  “You going to teach Peter italian?”

  “I don’t know, I haven’t given it much thought.” He hadn’t given it any thought at all. He’s worked so hard over these last eleven years to try and erase all of his memories of Maria. Thinking about it now though he did kind of want to teach him italian. Some of his best memories with Maria had been through their shared love of the language. It had been theirs. Now maybe it can be him and Peter’s.

  “You should. Learning a language is good for young kids.” Ben chips into the conversation. 

  “I’ll think about it.”

  One day maybe.

  When he’s ready.

  Tony gets surprisingly comfortable at the Parker's for the week and a half that they’re there. Although they don’t actually spend that long there, what time they do spend is nice. For the most part they spend their time out at meetings and events throughout the day, only coming back to sleep and - normally - for breakfast. 

  While him and Pepper are busy with S.I things, Peter stays with May and Ben. They’re lucky that this week is one where Ben and May don’t have too much work. If it had been another week they might have been too busy to look after Peter.

  What had started off as an inconvenience actually ends up being what everyone needs. Tony gets a bit of a break from Peter while still being there as much as possible, Pepper gets to let loose a little, Ben and May get to see Peter and Happy gets a vacation. Everyone wins. In fact Tony almost feels sad when they have to leave at the end of the week and a half. _Almost_. 

  “You’ll have to come visit again at some point.” May announces as they start heading out of the door.

  “We will - I’ll make sure he rings you up next time he’s in New York with Peter.” Pepper speaks for Tony. 

  “You better.” Ben jokes.

  Although it's rare for him to need to travel up to New York, it does actually end up happening again. Not even two months later Obadiah comes around the mansion with an invitation to a convention in the city. It's the sort of thing he'd normally avoid but this time he actually mulls it over. 

  It could be good to actually attend one of these things. Make connections and what not. Besides, it would give them a chance to see May and Ben again. 

  Without Pepper even intervening he agrees to go. This time it's only over the weekend but May and Ben love it all the same.

  It begins becoming a kind of ritual. Everytime Tony comes up to visit Peggy in the hospital he brings Peter with him and they stay with May and Ben in Queens. After all, Peter is a Parker - he should get a chance to stay close with at least one of his relatives on that side.

  As the year drags on and Peter's second birthday draws closer there's no denying that the Parkers are a part of their little family.

 

  “Good morning sir.” JARVIS greets him as his eyes slowly flicker open. He must’ve slept in because the sun shimmering through the large glass windows. Sun beams flicker right across his eyes making it hard for him to force himself out of bed. 

  “I just thought I would tell you that it is currently 10:34 in the morning on May the 29th”

   _His birthday_ …

  “Fine, fine. I’m getting up…” Tony grumbles. Although he’d like nothing more than to shove his head back under the pillow, he forces himself to sit up.

  Once he's out of bed he stumbles over to Peter’s room. Unsurprisingly the bedroom door is slightly ajar and Peter isn't in the room. Happy must’ve taken him out earlier. They should still be in the mansion somewhere. 

  Before going off to find them he decides to head to the kitchen. Once he's had his coffee he’ll deal with all of that. Breakfast might be good too…if he can be bothered.

  Finding them doesn't end up being difficult though. In fact, as he gets closer to the kitchen the sounds of life get louder and louder. Giggling and the crashing of pots and pans. 

  Curiously Tony peeks his head around the doorway to investigate the sounds. If Tony didn't know any better he'd say a bomb had gone off in the kitchen. Egg shells are scattered randomly across the counters with excess egg white still dripping out of them onto the counters. Flour coats every surface with a thin layer of white powder, even the people. Someone has left the milk on the side with large puddles of milk surrounding a clear bowl on the breakfast bar. 

  Sure enough, Peter is stood on one of the bar stools, leaning over the mixing bowl. There's cake batter from the bowl smudged on the corner of his mouth suspiciously.

  What is surprising is that instead of Happy beside him, it's Pepper. 

  “I thought you were taking the day off.” Tony frowns. Granted he doesn’t always pay attention to what Pepper is saying but he’s sure she wasn't supposed to be in today… 

  “Yeah well I decided to come in anyway. Promised Peter we’d make cakes together.” Pepper ruffles Peters floury hair. Looking at it now, it's surprisingly long. Still light brown compared to Tony's but nothing near the almost golden hair he once had. 

  Much like Peter, Peppers hair is coated in a fine layer of flour. There's cake mix splattered haphazardly across her cheek and the countertops.  

  “Cakes?” Tony peers over Peter's shoulder to get a better look at the cookbook they have opened up.

  “Dada Birthday.” Peter picks up the bowl and show it to Tony excitedly.

  As Peter speaks Pepper finally notices the smudge of batter on his mouth. Sighing she uses the edge of her jumper to wipe it away. He stays still while she cleans him up, his hands frozen holding the bowl up to show Tony. 

  “Where’s Happy?” Normally he'd be here at this time - probably watching Downton Abbey or something just as ridiculous and terrible. 

  “He went out to go buy some more supplies for your birthday.”

  “Birthday.” Peter parrots back. 

  “It’s meant to be a surprise so you have to go.” Pepper says firmly.

  “But what about my coffee?” He grumbles. He’s never gone without his coffee in the morning!

  “Go.” She points out of the door with a stern finger. For a second he considers going to grab the coffee anyway but in reality he’d never cross Pepper. She would skin him alive.

  “Fine…” He grumbles. As he walks out of the room he grabs his phone from his pocket and starts calling Obie. Someone’s going to have to bring him a coffee. 

  “Obie?” As usual, Obadiah picks up incredibly quickly, only letting the phone ring for a few seconds before answering it.

  “Tony! How are you doing?”

  “Good...I wanted to show you some stuff. Come round the mansion with a coffee asap.” Just as suddenly as he rang, he hangs up. There’s no doubt he’ll come by with a coffee soon - even if he doesn’t want to, he always does.

  Sure enough, half an hour later when Tony is in his lab, Obie shows up.

  “Sir, Mr. Stane has arrived with you coffee.”

  “What kind of coffee?” He asks without setting down his tools. There’s no point getting up when Obie will just come down here. 

  “A regular black coffee with two sugars I believe.”

  “It’ll do.” Normally he wouldn’t take sugar in his coffee but at this point he doesn’t care - as long as it’s coffee.

  There’s a short sharp tap on the glass wall of the lab as Obie finally makes it down the stairs to the lab. As J.A.R.V.I.S said, there’s a travel cup of coffee in one hand and his briefcase in the other. As usual he’s dressed up in a casual suit, the shirt untucked and the tie slightly loose. Sometimes Tony wonders if he owns anything but suits. 

  “Tony - can you let me in?” Obie asks with another short sharp tap.

  “Let him in J.” Tony mutters. Instantly J.A.R.V.I.S opens the lab door for Obie who steps in cautiously.

  “Freaks me out every time.” He mumbles to himself. 

  “The feeling is mutual.” J.A.R.V.I.S mutters back. Spending time around Tony probably isn’t great for a young impressionable AI...doesn’t bode well for Peter then.

  “I brought you your coffee.” Obie sets the coffee cup down on the countertop. He’s still glaring at the wall but he stays quiet nonetheless. 

  “It’ll do.” Tony mutters as he finally finishes up what he’s working on. As soon as his tools are down he grabs the coffee cup and takes a long drink from it. Even with sugar in it it tastes like heaven. He’ll have to remember to have J.A.R.V.I.S order a coffee machine for the lab so this never happens again. Maybe he should have a coffee machine installed into every room - or is that going overboard…?

  “What did you call me here for Tony?” Obie crosses his arms and peers over the counter at the bomb Tony is currently working on. Cautiously he begins reaching forward to touch it but is promptly stopped by J.A.R.V.I.S. 

  “I wouldn’t recommend touching that. It’s a high grade explosive and you are not trained to handle it in this form. You could set off a chain reaction that blows the entire mansion right into the sea.” J.A.R.V.I.S says bitterly.

  Despite his anger at J.A.R.V.I.S, he steps back from the bomb and puts his hands behind his back. There’s no chance of him trying to touch anything else in the lab now.

  In reality the bomb isn’t even live yet - Tony would never use these kinds of tools around an explosive as dangerous as this one is going to be. Even Tony wouldn’t be able to avoid an explosion if he did. Of course Tony doesn’t tell Obie this. For now he’ll let J.A.R.V.I.S have his fun. 

  “I called you over to bring me coffee.” Tony finishes off the coffee and throws the cup straight in the bin from across the room. Without even looking he knows it’s going to go straight in the bin. It always does. 

  “You said you wanted to show me something.” Obie mutters impatiently.

  “Oh right. That.” In truth there had been nothing he’d wanted to show his godfather. However there’s no way he’d have gone and brought Tony a coffee if he didn’t think he had a reason to come all the way out to the mansion in the first place. Fortunately there’s plenty of blueprints and projects in the lab he can give to Obie and the company to look at. 

  Tony starts scanning the countertops for blueprints and gathers them all up in a pile. For now he’ll only hand over the weapon designs, leaving the other non weapon projects until Obie and the board are in a better mood. Weapons are what they all really ever want to see.

  “I have these to show to the board to get their approval.” Tony places the blueprints on the counter in front of Obie. Once he’s stepped back Obie picks them up and begins leafing through them absentmindedly. 

  “You’re not showing these yourself?” Obie frowns. At this point Tony has no idea why he sounds surprised. Does he still think Tony's going to show up at those meetings?

  “I’ve got better things to do.” Tony sighs and turns back to his bomb.

  Obie flinches involuntarily as Tony starts fiddling with it. His hands clutch the blueprints tighter and steps back ever so slightly. What little faith he has. Besides, if this was an explosive moving one step back wouldn’t put him anywhere near the outside of the blast radius.

  “Better things to do! This is your company.” Obie hisses.

  “I went to the last five meetings - I’m not going to this one.” Tony sighs.

  “The board meeting will be a great time to get to meet some of the new investors. They don’t want to talk to us, they want to talk to you.” 

  “I’ll see them all at my birthday party tomorrow.”

  “Ugh, fine. But you owe me.” Obie shakes his finger at Tony/

  “Sure…” What he owes Obie he has no idea but if it shuts him up, Tony will tell him anything.

  Thankfully Obie seems to accept this as he starts slowly nodding and backing away towards the door. This time J.A.R.V.I.S wastes no time opening the door for him, clearing the path for his exit.

  “See you tomorrow night then Tony. Have a good birthday.” Obie smiles and raises one hand to wave goodbye. With the blueprints in hand he turns to exit the lab, leaving Tony alone with J.A.R.V.I.S and the bots.

  “Really J, explosives?” Tony arches his eyebrows and smirks. 

  “Is is going to be a high grade explosive…” J.A.R.V.I.S mutters innocently. 

  “I think I’ve been a bad influence on you.” Tony mumbles as he turns back to his work. 

  “The worst.” 

  After a few more hours of silent working, Tony is finally interrupted by Pepper and Peter running into the room. Although Peters legs wobble uncertainly as he runs, he manages to get all the way over to Tony without any assistance or falling even once. 

  Behind him are Pepper and Happy who are holding a little tray of brightly decorated cupcakes. Happy is holding a box of party hats and some glasses and apple juice for them all. 

  Neither Pepper nor Peter have bothered actually cleaning themselves up. Both are still plastered in flour and batter not that they seem to particularly care.

  Seeing the new arrivals, DUM-E and Butterfingers suddenly spark into action and begin racing over to greet Peter. As usual DUM-E holds his claw out to Peter for him to high five. Their own personal greeting to one another. Butterfingers excitedly spins around Happy and Pepper to not overcrowd Peter who is still considerably shorter than both DUM-E and Butterfingers.

  “Cakes!” Peter giggles and reaches up to Tony. Unable to deny the kids puppy dog eyes, Tony carefully lifts Peter up and sits him down on the counter so he is almost at the same height as everyone else. 

  “I can see.” Tony leans forward to peer at the cakes Pepper is carrying.

  Keeping a close watch on Peter she sets the cupcakes down on the counter so Tony can properly look at them. Not a single cupcake looks the same. All their sizes and decorations are different. Some were definitely favoured more than others when they were adding the batter to the cupcake cases.

  Peter clearly had the most say in the decorations since there’s more toppings on them than Tony would’ve thought was possible. Each cake has a different bright colour of icing and is covered in sprinkles and chocolate chips. There is even edible glitter on a couple of them in a colour matches the colour of their icing. Now his lab is going to be covered in glitter for weeks...great.

  One of the cakes in the middle has two large candles stuck into it. They’re in the shape of a 2 and a 9 to symbolise Tony’s 29 years. 

  “Getting 29 candles onto the cake was a bit of a chore so we settled on this.” Happy explains and rubs the back of his neck. 

  “Blow them!” Peter claps excitedly.

  “Wait a second Peter. We’ve got to put out hats on first.” Pepper points to the pack of party hats Happy is still clutching protectively. 

  “Hats!” Peter stops his clapping and tries to reach forward to take the pack of hats from Happy.

  Sensing Peters impatience, Happy quickly opens the pack and starts handing out the party hats to each of them. He gives two hats to Pepper so she can put it on Peter for him. He sits perfectly still as she carefully tucks the string under his chin to hold the hat in place. Surprisingly he doesn’t fiddle with the string at all, not trying to remove the hat or the string.

  “Give hat.” Peter points to DUM-E and Butterfingers who are still stood patiently on the ground underneath Peter. 

  “Of course.” Happy bends down and carefully places a hat on both of the bots. For a second they’re confused and try to pull them off but as soon as they notice everyone else wearing them they stop their attempts. 

  “I think now we’re all ready for the cakes then.” Pepper turns to Happy who is holding the lighter.

  “Yay!” Peter claps again as Happy starts lighting the two candles.

  “Hot.” Peter says to Tony as he points at the two little flames that are now dancing atop the candles. 

  “Very hot.” Tony nods in agreement. Pepper has been furiously trying to drill in the idea of hot and cold. Seems to have finally paid off - at least slightly. 

  “Do you want to help blow out the candles?” He asks Peter. Peter nods furiously, not waiting for Happy and Pepper to sing to start trying to blow out the candles. Tony lets Peter do most of the blowing as he furiously tries to get the two little candles to flicker out. Eventually he does manages to blow them out which causes an uproar of applause from everyone. 

  “Well done Pete.” Tony mumbles and kisses Peters head softly. 

  “Cake!” There’s no doubt that cake is his favourite word. At least it is for now. He reaches forward and grabs the red cake which had the candles in. Without any hesitation he hands it straight to Tony, holding it out patiently for Tony to take. 

  “Thanks kiddo.” Tony carefully takes it from him and gently pulls the candles out of the cake. One at a time he sets them down on the worktop next to the cakes.

  Nervously, he peels off the cupcake case so he can take a bite. Without the case on it’s even easier to see the thick layer of icing visible on top of the cake. Somehow there are even sprinkles _inside_ the cake. They must’ve used a whole tube of sprinkles for these cakes.

  Despite the intense sweetness of the cake, it ends up being tastier than his actual birthday cake. The one that they make for his birthday party. For some reason whoever organised the party thought a fruit cake would be a good idea for a birthday cake. It sucked. While he stands amongst the crowds of people he can’t help but wish he was still eating Peter’s cakes. 

  “You doing okay?” Rhodey asks, leaning over to Tony so they can hear each other over the crowds of people.

  As usual the party is being held at the mansion - a tradition Tony has had for years, since way before Peter was born. Although it was a good plan back then, now it’s a bit of a nightmare. A house party isn’t a place for a one year old - especially not when that one year old’s existence is a secret.

  Normally Pepper would just look after Peter for him but she’s needed at the party so the job has to go to Happy. Thankfully Happy is more than happy to have an excuse to avoid the party. He ends up taking Peter back to Peppers house to sleep over until everything has been cleaned up from the party the next day.

  They had to tidy all of Peter’s things away. Hiding any trace of the kid from every hidden corner of the house - even from the lab due to it's glass walls. Fortunately they can just shove all of it in Peter’s room which is on lockdown by J.A.R.V.I.S throughout the party. No one is getting into that room making it perfect for hiding things. 

  “Course, why wouldn’t I be?” Tony asks. 

  “Because you look like you just stepped in shit.”

  “That’s just because this cake is possibly the worst thing I’ve ever eaten.” Tony grumbles. 

  “It really is. No one likes fruit cake.” Rhodey agrees. Much like Tony’s slice, Rhodey's is practically untouched. There’s a small corner of it nibbled off but the rest is completely intact. One nibble was enough for both of them.

  Dropping all pretenses he stalks over to the kitchen bin with Rhodey trailing after him. Both of them quickly drop their slices of cake. Other people around them seem to be eating the cake somehow but it’s unclear whether that’s out of obligation on honest to god enjoyment. It has to be obligation. It _has_ to be. 

  “Tony Stark.” A familiar, annoying voice interrupts Tony's peace and enjoyment.

  "Please don't tell me..." Tony hisses to Rhodey. Rhodey nods slowly and quickly takes a drink from his wine glass to hide his face, "Hammer...I didn't expect to see you here." Tony whirls around to face the new arrival.

  "Unlike some people, I actually appear in places I'm supposed to be." Justin chuckles, "We were beginning to think you'd died since we haven't seen you for months and months." As much as Tony wishes that was true, it certainly isn't. They'd had the great misfortune of meeting while Tony had been staying with May and Ben in New York. That doesn't feel like it classifies as ' _months and months ago_ '. 

  "I'm harder to kill than that." Tony mutters. He scans the room for someway to get out of this situation. 

  From behind Justin, Rhodey waves. Before Tony can protest he's backing away, leaving Tony alone with Justin. If only he could slink away like that. When he gets back to Rhodey he's going to kill him. No hesitation. 

  "I bet." Justin chuckles, "You know I never did see you in the hotel while we were in New York. Everyone else was there except you." Justin mumbles uncertainly. Why did he have to be such a nosy arse? Maybe if he put as much effort into his designs he'd actually be successful. 

  "I made other arrangements." Tony mumbles. It's not a lie but there's no way he's going to go into further detail. The last person he wants to know about Peter is Justin _fucking_ Hammer.

  "Ah, of course. You're Tony Stark." Justin laughs unconvincingly, "You know we should really meet up more - catch up." He claps Tony round the back over enthusiastically. Tony quickly dodges out of the way so Justin's hand just passes harmlessly through the air.

  "Sure, maybe some other time." Tony brushes him off quickly.

  Not waiting for Justin to take the hint and bugger off, Tony begins heading towards the bar. Unfortunately even then Justin doesn't seem to take the hint. 

   "You're right - we're both very busy men. Running a company isn't easy." Justin chuckles as he speed walks next to Tony. Although the only response he gets is a hum he doesn't appear to be discouraged in the slightest. He's got to give it to him, he's tenacious. 

  "How about we schedule something in to the calendar."

  "You know you should probably try and talk to Pepper about that - she's the one in charge on my schedule. I'm sure she'll be able to tell you if I'm ever free." Tony grumbles as he calls the bartender over. 

  "Right, right. Your assistant. I'll talk to her." Justin grins.

  "You do that." Tony forces himself to smile. With new found purpose, Justin nods and starts backing away.

  "I'll catch you later then Tony!" He waves enthusiastically, setting off on his mission. Hopefully Pepper is smart enough to not actually schedule anything in. Hopefully.

  "So you're the great Tony Stark?" A blonde woman beside him at the bar shuffles over to talk to him. 

  "And you are?" Tony perks up. She's by far the prettiest woman he's seen in the room so far and they both know it.

  _Except maybe Pepper_...He quickly drowns that voice in the back of his head out. Not Pepper. He's not going to think about her tonight. This is his night and he's going to spend it however he wants to. 

  "Why don't you buy me a drink first." She smirks and bites her lower lip.

  "Honey, this is my house - I don't need to buy anything."

  "Even better." 

  In the end he doesn't end up experiencing much of the party. Within an hour of meeting the blonde woman who's name he can't remember for the life of him, they've both retired from the party. With Peter out of the house with Happy there's no issue about having...guests around the mansion. At least for tonight. There's no way she's going to be sticking around longer than that.

  Sure enough by the next morning she's gone from the mansion. Of course Tony didn't see her out personally but J.A.R.V.I.S is quick to update him when Pepper finally kicks the woman out. For good measure Pepper quickly makes her way down to the lab to chew him out personally.

  "Really Tony?" She grumbles as she storms through the doors to confront him. DUM-E and Butterfingers quickly dash out of the way and take refuge in Peter's play-pen. DUM-E drops the fire extinguisher he'd been holding as he makes a run for it making Tony wince. Dropping things was Butterfingers thing, not DUM-E's. He can't even be trusted with a fire extinguisher anymore.

  "Good morning to you too." He sips his coffee quietly. Now he's got to sit through her damn lecture. _Everytime_...

  "Do you understand how risky that could've been?" She hisses furiously.

  "Risky, really?" Tony sighs and leans back in his chair. As she approaches he spins his chair around so his back is facing her. As great as spinning chairs are for spinning away, they're also remarkably easy to spin back. As soon as she reaches his chair she spins the chair around to force him to pay attention to her again.

  "Yes, risky! What if she'd found out about Peter?"

  "There's no way she was going to find out. He's off at your place with Happy and all his stuff is locked away. You really need to relax. Go drink a margarita on the beach or something." Tony sighs. Later he needs to ask J.A.R.V.I.S to remind him to give Pepper more days off.

  "You know, I wish I could but I actually have a job to do. Not all of us can just lounge around all day. You would fall apart without me here to  deal with your schedule and accounts." She crosses her arms. Some of her anger seems to dissipate which can't be a good sign, "Speaking of - you've got a meeting with Justin Hammer scheduled in for two weeks time." She smirks ever so slightly.

  "Really? Hammer? You couldn't have just told him I was busy?" Sure she's annoyed at him but this, really? Now he has to hang out with Hammer...

  "I tried to look for you to check whether you had any personal events scheduled in for that day but unfortunately I couldn't find you anywhere." She smirks smugly.

  "This is really all about me putting Peter's identity at risk?" Tony arches one eyebrow suspiciously. It's not like Peter was at risk in the slightest. She's just over reacting. 

  "Of course, what else would it be about?" Her cheeks are ever so slightly tinged pink as she crosses her arms. Could just be from her frustration.

  "I don't know, why don't you tell me." Tony leans forward, shortening the distance between the two of them. 

  "Look - I've got a lot to deal with today. Just get your act together for Peter's sake." She quickly changes the topic, leaving Tony's question unanswered.

  For now it'll have to stay that way...

  Two weeks later Tony finds himself walking through a park. Happy is at his side, his hands fiddling with the hat Tony had given him to somewhat cover his face. Although Happy doesn’t really need to disguise himself they decided to give him a hat and glasses just in case. You can never be too safe.  
  
  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Happy asks nervously.

  Just like Happy, Tony has a cheap pair of sunglasses and a hat on. Everything he’s wearing is cheap, old and inconspicuous. The opposite of his usual attire.

  Thankfully it’s an incredibly hot day so the sunglasses and hat make complete sense. Along with their shorts and vests, they look like all the tourists basking in the pleasant warmth of Malibu. 

  Just ahead of them is Peter. Like them he’s been dressed in shorts and a vest with sunglasses and a hat although his is more for his own safety than anything else. As usual, Happy has gone overboard with the sun lotion. Before heading out he practically painted the kid white with the stuff. It had taken almost thirty minutes to just rub the stuff in so he wasn’t going around looking like a snowman in the middle of June. 

  With Pepper gone for the next few days there’s no one to stop Tony from doing whatever he wants to do. Try as he might, Happy had done absolutely nothing to dissuade Tony from his plans so here they all are trekking to the park in the midday sun. 

  “Are you sure this is a good idea? Didn’t you say we shouldn’t let anyone know about Peter. I feel like this is a very good way for people to end up finding out about him.”

  “Relax, we’re just going to the park. No one’s going to find out.” Tony sighs.

  There’s plenty of ground out around the mansion for them to use but Tony felt like a change. Judging by the speed at which Peter is running along the path, so does Peter. It totally has nothing to do with Tony wanting to get out of his plans with Hammer...Nothing of the sort.

  It’s been almost two years since Peter was born and Tony’s never taken Peter to the park. Not once. Maybe Mary and Richard took him when he was a baby but he’s never been since they died.

  The whole point of keeping Peter a secret is to protect him from the life Tony lead. Keeping him away from public places and parks is the exact thing Howard used to do. He’d told himself he wasn’t going to be Howard and this is how he does it.

  “Okay…” Happy mumbles nervously. If anything is going to give them away it’s going to be Happy. No one has ever looked more conspicuous than Happy in this exact moment.

  “Do you want to go and sit in the car while me and Pete go explore the park?” Tony asks cooly. 

  “No way! You and Peter need protection.” He puffs up his chest and stands tall. A towering figure there to protect them from Happy's imagined enemies.

  “Then stop acting all fidgety and relax. We’re here to have fun not to stress.” Tony rolls his eyes and claps Happy on the back. 

  “Dada come!” Peter comes running back to them noticing that they’ve fallen behind him.

  “Coming.” Tony speeds up to stick close to Peter. As soon as he’s in reaching distance Peter reaches up and clutches a hold of Tony’s hand. Even though his hand is hot and sweaty Tony doesn’t pull away. 

  Now it’s Happy that’s trailing along on his own. For a few seconds he doesn’t seem to have any plans to try and catch up with them but eventually his own paranoia wins out and he jogs over to walk beside Tony and Peter protectively.

  “See, I knew you would come around.” Tony nudges Happy slightly.

  “Whatever. I still think this is a bad idea.”

  “Ice cream!” Peter tugs Tony’s arm to point out the ice cream shop that is right opposite the park. Kids are already swarming around the place excitedly with their ice creams. 

  Against his better judgement he begins steering the three of them towards the shop. Pumping Peter full of sugar is probably the very last thing he should be doing but when has he done what he’s supposed to do? 

  “You want an ice cream Pete?” Tony picks Peter up so he can look at the list of ice creams. Although a lot of them are larger ice creams several sizes too big for Peter, there are a couple of little ones that are about the right size. Obviously those aren’t the ones he points at though.

  Despite Peter’s choice, Tony ends up ordering him the smallest ice cream on the list. Just as Tony expected, he doesn’t even notice that it’s a different ice cream. He’s too busy shoving it in his face to care about what he actually asked for.

  “You want something Happy?” Tony asks before handing over the money.

  “Just get me chocolate or something.” He mumbles. He’s bent down to Peter’s level, watching him while Tony deals with the money and their ice cream. 

  “Here you go.” The shopkeeper hands Tony the two ice cream cones and takes the money from Tony. While he’s waiting for the change he hands Happy his chocolate ice cream cone which he takes gratefully.

  Under the harsh sun it’s already kind of melting. Even standing under the shade of the shop Tony’s ice cream is melting. They’re going to have to try and eat them quickly if they don’t want to end up covered in melted ice cream.

  Unfortunately it’s already too late for Peter. By the time Tony has finished exchanging money with the shopkeeper, Peter’s ice cream has melted and began dripping down his hand. There’s a tiny puddle of melted ice cream buy his feet where it’s dripped off of his elbow.

  “You had one job.” Tony sighs to Happy.

  “Sorry - I wasn’t watching his ice cream.” Happy flushes red and goes back to eating his own ice cream. 

  “Let’s take a seat in the shade.” Tony mumbles and sets off to try and find a bench in the shade. Most of them are already taken up by people hiding from the sun but eventually they manage to find an unoccupied one overlooking the sea.

  Peter trails alongside Tony quietly. He’s too engrossed in his ice cream to babble like he usually does. Turns out the best way to stop him from talking is to give him ice cream.

  By the time they sit down on the bench Peter has already almost finished his ice cream. Happy isn’t far behind either. Nonetheless they take a seat on the bench and watch the people running about on the beach. 

  The sun is reflecting off of the waves sending sparkles of light in every direction. The waves lap slowly at the shore, carrying the light with them. The water is so clear that even from all the way over here you can see the bottom of the sea bed. Under the bright light the sandy beaches look like a bed of pure gold.

  “All gone.” Peter holds his sticky hands out for Tony to look at. One hand is still fiercely clutching the ice lolly stick which he now waves at Peter, “More?” He decides to push his luck.

  “No way - you’ve had plenty of sugar today.” Peter frowns and crosses his arms but doesn’t verbally complain. 

  “You got the wipes?” Tony asks Happy but he already knows the answer. There’s no way Happy even thought about leaving the mansion without things like baby wipes. It’s not something he does. Ever. 

  “Course.” Happy reaches into his bag and pulls out the huge bumper pack of wipes. Carefully he opens the packet and grabs a wipe to clean Peter off. Although he wriggles a little bit, for the most part he stays still while Happy wipes his arms and mouth down. 

  Sensing Peter’s impatience, Tony quickly finished his own ice cream. The longer he spends eating the ice cream, the higher the chance that Peter’s going to pounce and try to take Tony’s ice cream for himself.

  Once they’ve all finished their ice creams they finally stand up and begin heading towards the park area. Suddenly his phone begins vibrating in his pocket. As he pulls it out of his pocket he's greeted by the image of Hammer.

  "Hey Hammer. What's up?"

  "I just wanted to check whether you were still free to meet up today. To talk business or whatever." Hammer mutters nervously from the other side of the phone.

  "That was today? Really? I'm out right now - all the way up in Washington." Tony lies smoothly. Next to him Happy frowns but doesn't say anything.

  "Really - nevermind. It's cool, I'm pretty busy too. That's why I wanted to check." Justin clears his throat. 

  "Another time maybe." There's no way it'll ever happen. Not if Tony has any say in it. 

  "Yeah, sure. If you really want." His voice is deeper than usual. It almost makes Tony laugh. Poor guy. Really needs to learn how to take a hint.

  Just ahead of them Peter slows to a stop. Instead of looking at the park where the other kids are playing, he's watching the green beside them. There's a couple of older boys playing soccer on the grass. They're using their bags as makeshift goals since there are no actual goals anywhere to be seen.

  "Look I gotta go now, have a good day." Tony mumbles. He's too busy watching Peter to listen to Justin anymore. Not waiting to listen to Justin's goodbye, he hangs up the phone and slips it into his pocket. 

  “You want a ball?” Tony asks Peter. Peter nods quietly and grabs ahold of Tony's trouser leg, “They sell balls over there.” Tony nods to the booth a little way down the path.

  “I'll go buy one.” Happy says, letting Peter and Tony stays where they are. 

  Tony picks up Peter who quickly wraps his arms around Tony's neck. He buries his face in Tony's shoulder and squeezes him tightly. 

  “You okay kiddo?” Tony mumbles under his breath. After a pause Peter nods silently into Tony's neck. Keeping one hand supporting Peters weight, he uses the other hand to gently stroke Peters curly brown hair.

  “I got one!” Happy jogs over with a ball in hand, “Is everything okay?” Happy frowns. 

  “Were all good, aren't we kiddo?” Tony kisses Peters head softly. Finally Peter loosens his hold on Tony's neck so Tony can set him down next to the ball happy just bought. 

  “Do you know how to play soccer?” Peter shakes his head meekly, “How about I teach you.” Tony bends down and moves the ball into position. 

  “Happy can stand in goal.” As Tony speaks Happy begins moving in front of a makeshift goal made from Happy's flip flops.

  As gently as possible Tony kicks the ball so it rolls ever so slightly forward. As soon as it's stopped rolling he steps forward and puts the ball in front of Peter. Before Peter can run forward to try and kick the ball, Tony takes each of his hands in is own. 

  “Try and kick the ball.” Tony moves his foot in the kicking motion again so Peter can try and copy him.

  After watching Tony try and kick a few times he cautiously raises his foot in the same way as Tony. Without his other foot there for support he begins wobbling but Tony’s arms stabilise him.

  In one quick motion he hits his foot into the ball. It’s not particularly hard and hits the ball at the wrong angle but there’s no mistaking it for a kick.

  Despite how close they are to Happy and the makesfit goal posts it still doesn’t go anywhere near the goal. In fact it goes off to the left of Tony and Peter, instead of forwards like it’s supposed. To. Nonetheless Tony and Happy both clap loudly. 

  “Well done!” Tony smiles and lets go of Peter’s hands.

  Without Tony holding him back he runs over to the ball and grabs it with both his arms. Excitedly he runs back over to Tony and drops the ball in front of him.

  “Again! Again!” 

  “Okay, okay. Let’s try again shall we?” Peter nods fiercely and starts jumping up and down on the spot.

  The second attempt goes much the same as the first but him and Happy clap again. It’s not until the fifth or sixth attempt that he finally starts getting it in the right general direction. It’s still not going into the goal - or even going particularly close to the goal - but it’s a step in the right direction. 

  They both let Peter keep on kicking the ball over and over. As time goes on he stops waiting for Tony to grab a hold of his hands to kick the ball. It’s not clear what he’s aiming for anymore but he’s laughing and enjoying himself so they don’t really mind. He’s definitely improving, even if it’s not much of an improvement. 

  After a couple of hours of messing around with the ball Peter slowly starts to get tired. His kicks become weaker and weaker and he isn’t running round any longer. No matter how much Peter wants to keep playing they can’t stay for much longer.

  “Come on, let’s go home kiddo.”

   _Home_. That’s what it is. It’s not the mansion. It’s home. Their home. Home to their little family. It’s strange that he’s only just realised what it is. He’s never really had a home before - not with Maria and Howard. Back then that was their mansion. Sure his family owned the place but they never really lived there. Now though that’s what he has. It’s his and he’s not letting it go. Never. 

  When they get back home Peter drags him straight down to the lab. He’d never thought he’d see the day when his son forced him down into the lab. He’d never thought he’d see the day when he had a son end of.

  Now the lab isn’t just Tony’s place, it’s theirs. Not just Peter’s and Tony’s but DUM-E and Butterfingers too. It’s where the bots live and where Peter gets to play with them. They’ve tried to let them out into the rest of the mansion before but they’re always happiest down in the lab. 

  It’s strange to imagine the lab as anything other than the empty safe space it was growing up. To think of it as a part of his home. 

  As Tony works he spots Peter sat on the floor, trying to screw a couple of screws into the floor with one of screwdrivers. Obviously it completely fails but Peter keeps trying nonetheless. Eager to try and copy what Tony is doing on the worktop.

  “You want to help dada with his work?” Tony asks curiously.

  Peter looks up from his screws, still trying to screw them in even when he’s not looking at them. When the screw slips off again he sets the screwdriver down and nods slowly.

  “Come over here then.” Tony pats the stool next to him. It’s in front of the hologram table where he works on all of his projects. At least while they’re in their designing phase 

  Tony knows Peter’s been wanting to play with these for ages - ever since he properly first saw them. He’s not at all surprised when Peter throws the screwdriver down onto the floor and begins running over to Tony. Obviously he’s still too short to get up onto the stool on his own so Tony has to lift him up onto it.

  Peter must realise he’s high up because he doesn’t wriggle about on the seat like he usually does when he sits down. Either that or he is on his best behaviour so Tony doesn’t send him back down to play with his screws.

  “Do you wanna build your own bot Pete?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going on holiday tomorrow and although I should be able to upload there's a chance I might not. If I can't I'll upload the chapter as soon as I get back (since I'll still be able to actually write it) and just resume my usual uploading schedule after that.


	6. Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter turns two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a bit late but it was harder to edit while I was on holiday than I thought so I wasn't really done in time. Luckily it's not too late though. 
> 
> As a warning I've been on holiday so haven't seen FFH yet so no spoilers in the comments!

**From things that have happened and from things as they exist and from all things that you know and all those you cannot know, you make something through your invention that is not a representation but a whole new thing truer than anything true and alive, and you make it alive, and if you make it well enough, you give it immortality.**  
**\- Ernest Hemingway**

 

~~~

  “Birthday birthday birthday!” Peter jumps up and down on Happy’s bed.

  Due to all of Happy’s talk about Peter’s birthday the previous night, Tony had been woken up promptly at five in the morning. Being jumped on by a child is never a great way to start off your morning. So as retribution he’d decided to take Peter straight into Happy’s room. Call him petty all you want but who’s laughing now? Tony. Tony is laughing now. It feels good to get pay back.

  “I’m awake!” Happy groans and rolls over. Unfortunately that’s not enough of a response for Peter so he keeps on jumping on him. Tony smirks as he takes a sip of his strong black coffee. 

  “Birthday!” He flops down on the bed, all his weight knocking into Happy’s stomach.

  “Why are you even awake?”

  “Someone hyped him up last night leading him to wake up at the crack of dawn.” Tony crosses his arms and raises his eyebrows accusingly. There’s no doubt in his mind that Happy had known what he was doing when he did it. Now they both have to suffer.

  “It’s bad enough we have to wake up early at Christmas - now we have to do it on birthdays too. I’m really starting to hate celebrations.”

  It has become an unfortunate trend recently. Nowadays everyone has lost the appreciation of a nice lie in. One of the things Tony actually _had_ liked about holidays growing up was that Jarvis was never trying to wrangle him out of bed (on the rare occasion he actually went to sleep). 

  “Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you started encouraging this behaviour.”

  “Yeah yeah - I’m sorry okay. Is anyone else awake?” He rubs his eyes and looks over at the clock to his left.

  There's are few rooms in the mansion that don't have huge glass windows and Happy's is one of them. Without the bedroom lights on its very hard to see the bed across the room, let alone the clock that's next to his bed. 

  “Not yet - it’s a bit early for that.”

  “I can see.”

  Happy’s eyes flutter closed hopefully. While Tony has always struggled to fall asleep sitting up, Happy doesn’t have such qualms. It’s just another of his many skills: he’s great at falling asleep anywhere. Tony almost envies him for it. Sleeping always has been and always will be one of his greatest enemies. 

  “Up, up, up.” Peter tugs at Happy’s side, “Pancakes!” 

  It wasn’t just Happy that made the mistake of promising things last night. In truth, Tony though Peter would forget that he promised to make pancakes but of course no such thing happened. Kid has a better memory than they give him credit.   

  “I’m coming…” With his eyes still closed he swings out of bed and stumbles over to the doorway. Peter’s fist curls around his thumb, guiding him through the room to avoid any obstacles that might hinder him.

  When they leave Happy’s room they’re assaulted by the bright sun light that’s now drifting through the huge glass windows. It might be around five in the morning but try telling the sun that.

  With the brightness of the sun he wouldn’t be surprised if Ben, May and Rhodey wake up soon. Sure enough, by the time they’ve finished having pancakes, everyone is awake and helping themselves to food. It’s seven when Pepper arrives at the mansion but she’s the last of all of them to be up and about.

  Since everyone is awake so early they head out to the beach to celebrate sooner than they'd originally planned. Might as well make the most out of their early start and get a good spot on the beach. It’s mid august so the beaches can get pretty busy even on the colder days.

  It’s too hot to bother with disguises or caution - however the presence of May and Ben is a good enough cover. As Peter is officially a Parker no one would be surprised if they claimed that Ben and May were his parents. Fortunately no one even glances their way the whole day leaving them to do their own thing. 

  With the weather so nice they stay out for the majority of the day, only coming back to the mansion in the evening. After a day in the heat they’re all more than happy to just relax in the living room together. 

  “Q, R, S, T -” Rhodey and Peter chant together. However as soon as they get to T the two begin to diverge. While Rhodey U, Peter deviates, skipping out the U completely and going straight to V. 

  “No, no, no - You missed out a letter.” Rhodey explains Peter patiently causing him to frown uncertainly. 

  “Told you he was too little.” May shakes her head with a chuckle. 

  “He’ll get it, he’s almost there.” Rhodey readjusts himself, sitting up straighter and moving closer to Peter. “What's after T Peter?” 

  “Z!” He tries his luck. Tony laughs and shakes his head.

  Rhodey's been trying to drill this in for the better part of the day now. All that effort and Peter is still unable to get past the dreaded letter U. No matter how hard he tries it never gets any further. 

  “S, T - ” 

  “V?” Peter bites his lip and frowns. His entire face is crumpled up in concentration as he tries to go through every memory in search of the letter U. 

  “Just give up, he's not going to get it.” Tony sighs and sets down his book. As cute as it is, they're not getting any closer. There's been literally no progress for the last three hours. At this point it's time to just give up. No point in continuing a doomed activity. 

  “One day. One day you’ll remember the letter.” Rhodey whispers to Peter. 

  “You’ll just have to try harder.” Ben tries to motivate Rhodey. 

  “Maybe another day. Right now, we're going to bed.” Tony gets up off of the couch slowly. 

  Since it's summer the sun is still in the sky but that doesn't change the fact that it's getting late. For the first time he gets to be the responsible one. It sucks. Why Rhodey and Pepper try to be responsible he has no idea. 

  “Aww, buzz kill.” May laughs and hugs Peter goodnight, “Night night then sweetie.”

  "Night night." He gives them all a little wave as he runs after Tony to his room. 

  Thankfully he doesn't complain as Tony takes him over to his bedroom and away from all the fun. It's only when Tony sets him down in the cot that he starts getting frustrated. 

  “Story time!” Instead of lying down like he's supposed to he's stood up in the cot. His fists curl around the bars to prop himself up even though he doesn't need the support anymore.

  “It's late now.”

  “Story.” He stomps his foot down on the bottom of the cot. His eyebrows knit together tightly, trying and failing to look intimidating. 

  “Not tonight.”

  Although he tries his best to stick by his words, as soon as Peters bottom lip starts to quiver he bends. Stark men are made of iron, they don't rust or bend - at least not until Peter flashes his puppy dog eyes. 

  “Okay, just a quick one.” Tony sighs but his lips are curved upward, “Let's think…”

  He'd quickly given up on reading the crappy books Mary had left him with. They still line the bookshelves on the wall but there's a layer of dust coating them. He may not be a master story teller but his own stories are worlds better than them. 

  “Once upon a time there was a little Prince called Sparky who lived in a huge tower on top of a cliff. All of his friends were robots who loved him more than anyone else in the whole world."

  "Robot." Peter mumbles seriously, hanging off of every word. 

  Where he's going he's not really sure but making things up on the spot has always worked out for him before. 

  "But when the King and Queen disappeared him and the robots were left in charge. Since the Prince was a cheeky little monster him and the bots spent all their time eating cakes and playing fetch until they got old and died. The end." Peter claps excitedly. 

  "Another another!" 

  "Maybe tomorrow, Sparky." Tony whisoers as he tucks the cover around Peter. Luckily Peter doesn't argue anymore, hugging 'Abbit close to his chest and closing his eyes, "Maybe tomorrow."

  By the time he's finished tucking Peter in everyone has left the living room. They've all probably gone off to their rooms for the evening but instead of looking for them he starts heading down to the lab. 

  Recently he's been going to bed not long after Peter but tonight he doesn’t feel tired. In fact he's buzzing. Itching to do something. Anything. 

  As he steps in, DUM-E and Butterfingers rush over hopefully but are quickly put out when Peter doesn't follow behind. As he passes he pats both of them on the head. 

  “Sorry boys, not tonight.” 

  Even without Peter here they follow behind Tony protectively. He wouldn’t want to count on them if he actually needed protecting but their escort still warms his heart. They might like Peter more than him but that doesn't mean they don't still care about him. 

  They decide to surprise Tony even further by actually coming over to check what he’s working on. They’ve mostly been uninterested in his work ever since Peter was born so he doesn’t have the heart to send them away. Don’t want to discourage this progress even though they’re more likely to mess it all up than help out. 

  “I think they might be starting to recognising what you’re making.” Sometimes he wonders whether J.A.R.V.I.S can actually read minds. It certainly seems that way sometimes. Perhaps he did too well when he tried to model J.A.R.V.I.S after Jarvis. Made him too similar to the man he once knew.

  It would be interesting if they did have the capacity to recognise the creation he’s currently working on. Self recognition has always fascinated him when it comes to his AI’s. To what degree do they recognise themselves?

  Right now the new bot him and Peter are working on is just starting to take form and look like the other two. It’s unsurprisingly that this is the point when DUM-E and Butterfingers would start getting curious about their soon-to-be brother or sister.

  Although they do mess up a few times they actually start making good progress. Having them work with him once again reminds him of why he built them in the first place. While part of it was to give him company in the lab - something he now has Peter for - they’re also very helpful during the building process of a project. There’s no doubt they’re speeding up the process greatly. If things continue like this they might even be able to finish it off tonight.

  Now him and Peter (well just him really) have finished all of the programming it’s just the exterior they need to finish off. As the hour drip by you can see the new bot take form. Exterior panels and details are added, giving the bot proper form. If they were indeed beginning to recognise the bot before then they certainly are now. 

  Right when they’re drawing close to the end, the bots pull away from the project and drop all of their tools. The metal clatters against the smooth stone floor of the lab making Tony wince. He’d forgotten about this part of working in the lab with them. The part where they trash everything.

  “Come on guys, you need to get it together.”

  But when he looks up neither of them are there anymore. Both of them have made a mad dash for the lab doors.

  Frowning, he follows after them trying to figure out what’s gotten into them. They'd been doing so well a few seconds ago. As he rounds the corner of the countertops he finally gets a good view of the lower half of the glass wall. Somehow Peter has made his way all the way from his cot down to the lab and is currently toddling over to the door chatting away to someone - either J.A.R.V.I.S or himself. 

  “J.A.R.V.I.S, why didn’t you tell me?” Instead of having a baby monitor like most parents, Tony has J.A.R.V.I.S who is, in some ways, the most advanced baby monitor in the world. He’s supposed to warn Tony if anything like this happens. Apparently this situation isn’t covered by the baby monitor protocol. 

  However J.A.R.V.I.S doesn’t reply - instead he just opens the lab door for Peter to toddle in freely. Since 'Abbit is in his hand he's forced to navigate his way with only one free hand to grab onto his surroundings. 

  “Dada.” He mumbles quietly as his eyes search the room from top to bottom. 

  “I’m here.”

  “Dada!” As soon as he hears Tony’s voice his eyes widen and he grins broadly. Light shimmers off of his eyes making them look even bigger and more innocent than they usually do. 

  “How did you know I was down here?” Tony holds Peter as close to him as possible. Their heads touch gently, the skin to skin contact soothing Tony. He’d never realised how much he craved the contact until Peter came along. Now he can’t seem to stop reaching out to touch Peter. Seeking out the contact. Despite what everyone says he knows the truth: he’s always been more like Maria than Howard. 

  “J.A.R.V.I.S.” Peter points up at the ceiling, uncertain of where the mysterious voice comes from. 

  “J?” Tony tries to scowl but his face betrays him. With Peter here in his arms scowling seems impossible.

  “My apologies, sir. I deemed this to be the best course of action for Peter. He was crying and he is calmed by your presence but you were enjoying working down here.” 

  “It’s okay, J.” Tony smiles and sets Peter back down on the ground, “Why don’t you find something to play with?” He whispers into Peter’s ear.

  After spending so much time working in the lab, Peter’s used to the way things run down here. He doesn’t hesitate to toddle over to his special corner with the bots in tow.

   _Well their help was nice while it lasted._

  Despite all the toys that are tucked away there, his first instinct is to go for the books. Although he might not be able to read he’s very attached to his little collection. They don’t have many words, favouring brightly coloured pictures but that doesn't matter. They're the perfect thing for someone Peter’s age.

  If he was really a responsible parent he’d take Peter upstairs to bed again but responsibility really isn’t a good look on him - he’s tried. Instead he lets Peter stay as he works. The warm quiet calms both of them, settling between them happily.

  “Can you bring me the screwdriver?” Tony mumbles. His hand is extended out towards Peter, waiting patiently. 

  Setting down his upside-down book, Peter gets up onto two feet and starts toddling over to the worktop. One by one, he looks over each of the tools laid out for him. Sure Tony could do it himself but recently it's become Peters job. His part to play in their new joint creation. 

  So far the unnamed bot was mostly the same as DUM-E and Butterfingers since most of the changes Peter wanted to make weren't really compatible. No one wants to stick giant flashing lights on a bit. Especially not when they're in this enclosed space. 

  “Thanks Sparky.” Tony ruffles his hair as he hands him the screwdriver. Instead of leaving, Peter stays right by Tony’s side watching him finish up the new bot.

  It’s been weeks and weeks since they started working on it and it’s almost at the end. So close to being done. You’d think after having made three different AI’s he’d be faster at this point but he’s actually gotten slower. Letting Peter help him certainly hasn’t sped things up but it’s not like they’re on a timer. They can take as long as they need to.

  “You wanna do the last bit?” He holds the screwdriver out to Peter. 

  In truth the new bot is actually already finished. There’s one screw left to screw in but it could just be left loose and the bot would still function. One press of the button on his computer and it would be done. Nonetheless he hands Peter the screwdriver. At this stage it’s not like he can break it so what's the harm? 

  “Yes!” He giggles excitedly and grabs the screwdriver from Tony’s hand. As soon as it’s in his hand he looks over to Tony uncertainly - although he’s seen Tony do this a million times it’s not as easy as it looks.

  “Come here.” Tony beckons Peter over and stands him directly in front of the loose screw. With one hand he guides the hand and that's holding the screwdriver over to the screw. It wobbles in Peter’s shaky grip but manages to just about slot into the groove. Since it’s a magnetic screwdriver it sticks into the groove, regardless of the shaking of Peter’s hands.

  “There you go.” Tony smiles softly at Peter, “Now you just need to turn it.” As Tony tries to help him twist the screwdriver around Peter shakes him off.

  “I do it!” Peter grumbles, jumping up and down slightly. Not wanting to anger Peter, he steps back and lets Peter try to screw it in on his own.

  Without Tony’s hands there to steady him he fumbles with the handle but doesn’t give up. It might be awkward and messy but it gets the job done.

  Watching Peter concentration he notices something odd, he looks just like Pepper. At least when he’s trying to concentrate. Both scrunch their foreheads in the same adorable way that Tony can’t tear his eyes away from. He even sticks his tongue out ever so slightly in the same way as her. It should be wrong that it’s Pepper he’s seeing in Peter but honestly, it feels right. 

  “You did it kiddo.” Tony chuckles and takes the screwdriver out of Peter’s hand once the screw is sufficiently tightened. Without the screwdriver in his hands he is free to clap excitedly and he doesn’t waste any time doing so.

  “Did it!” He jumps up and down as he claps, “Did it, J!”

  “You did a great job Peter.” J.A.R.V.I.S says warmly. The tenderness in his voice is like nothing Tony programmed and he couldn’t be more proud. It’s not just Peter who’s learning.

  Even without having programmed the tone himself, there’s no denying it’s exactly the same as the one Jarvis used to have. You’d almost think that Jarvis was still here. Still watching proudly after all these years.

  Would he still be proud?

  He would be proud of Peter no doubt. No matter how professional and distant he tried to be, he never could disguise his love for children. It’s hard to know whether he would still be proud of the man Tony had grown into. The kind that drinks and sleeps around. That wastes away in his lab or at a bar. Exactly the opposite of the man Jarvis had always wanted him to become. Too much like Howard, too little like Jarvis.

  What good has he really done? His weapons might save lives but outside of that what has he actually left this world with?

  “Did it!” Peter holds onto Tony’s arm and tugs at him gently.

  “Yeah you did.” Tony kisses his head softly. At this distance Tony can smell the warm scent of freshly baked cookies wafting off of Peter. 

  “There’s one last thing to do.” Tony hums and brings the laptop down onto the ground. Peter watches curiously as Tony sets it down in front of him, a huge red button flashing on the screen, “We just need to press this button now.” He points to the flashing button just in case Peter has miraculously missed it. 

  Keeping half of his attention on Tony, he shuffles forward and hovers over button on the touch screen computer.

  “Go on.” Tony nods encouragingly. Peter nods and forcefully pushes his finger forwards to smash into the button. Instantaneously there’s a loud beeping as the new bot slowly comes to life.

  “Yay!” Peter giggles and claps his hands again.

  “High five.” Tony holds his hand out to Peter. His tiny hand reaches forward to smack into Tony’s . He really has no qualms about how hard he hits as he gives the high five his all. 

  “What are you going to call it?” For the first time he decides to hand over the right to someone else. So far all three of his AI’s have been named by him alone, despite how Butterfingers was supposed to be named by him and Mary together. 

  “Hmmm…” Peter hums. Once again, his face scrunches up to match Peppers. It looks just as cute on Peter as it does on Pepper, “U!” Peter exclaims and throws his arms up in the air dramatically.

  Tony snorts thinking back on the failed attempts at the alphabet earlier. If only Rhodey could see him now. Clearly something stuck with him, even if it wasn’t what he’d been aiming to achieve.

  “U, huh? I like it.” 

  Of all the things Peter could inherit from Tony, he inherited Tony’s naming choices. If only Mary could see him now. She’d probably throttle Tony for passing on that part of himself to their son. She’d probably kill him for a lot of things - not that he’d blame her. 

  “U!” Peter grabs ahold of U’s claw and tries to shake it with little success. Tilting his head to one side, U regards Peter uncertainly. 

  “Welcome to the family, U.” Tony waves DUM-E and Butterfingers over to meet their new, youngest, sibling. U beeps quietly, accepting the name given to him by Peter.

  With just as much excitement as they always have, DUM-E and Butterfingers race over and begin greeting their new brother. 

  DUM-E, Butterfingers and Peter are quick to start training up U. Teaching him how to fetch and high five - all the essential skills for a working lab bot. 

  As U and Peter are chased around the lab by DUM-E and Butterfingers, Tony is hit by how alive they all are. Not just Peter but the bots too. People always doubt how alive they really are but no one who's actually spent any time with them would doubt it. 

  Without something to work on Tony sits back and starts fiddling with some new designs. As great as the bots are for his productivity he’s more than happy to give up that boost in exchange for the background giggles and noises he gets when they play with Peter. 

  He’s not really paying attention so he doesn’t notice when Peter finally curls up on the sofa and drifts back to sleep. Nor does Peter notice when Tony carries him upstairs and tucks them both into his own bed.

~~~

  “Happy birthday Tony!” Obadiah throws his arm around Tony. “I can't believe you're already thirty! It feels like only yesterday you were Peters age.” He chuckles.

  Tony can't believe it either. Time has flown faster than he thought it would. In all honesty, he still remembers the days when he had begun wondering if he'd even make it to this age although those days have faded away now. Distant memories. 

  These last few years have definitely felt longer than all the ones before. Probably has something to do with the more regular sleeping pattern. It's funny, most people would say having a child ruins your sleeping pattern but having Peter surprisingly did the opposite. It's hard to go on 50 hour lab sprees when you are worn out from taking care of a child. 

  “Welcome to the over thirties club.” Rhodey’s glass clinks against Tony’s, “It's all downhill from here.” 

  It's strange to be the youngest in the group again. For the most part, the people Tony tends to associate with now are all younger than him - at least when it comes to leisure time. Tonight though, it's just the three of them: Tony, Rhodey and Obadiah. Not the usual going out group but they're all on good terms and for tonight that’s enough.

  “We’re getting old.” Tony snorts. Sure, thirty might not sound like it’s old but it _feels_ old. No longer in his youth. Moving into the next stage of his life that he’s not prepared for. 

  “You’re getting old? What am I then?” Although Obadiah plays it off as a joke there’s no hiding the bitterness. Not when he’s this drunk. 

  Despite it being his birthday he hasn’t drunk anywhere near as much as he usually would. In fact he’s drunk less than both Rhodey and Obidiah. Although the latter isn’t surprising, he hasn’t been less drunk than Rhodey while they’re since back in MIT - and even then it was rare. 

  Tonight there's no one free to come pick them up from the bar and take them home so someone needs to be the designated driver. Since Obie and Rhodey were already drunk, that responsibility now falls on Tony. 

  “Don’t think you want the answer to that question.” Rhodey mumbles jokingly into his glass of beer.

   “On the topic of getting old - what are your plans for the company in the event that you have to retire?” Obie probes curiously. It’s a bit upfront for Obie - not his usual style but the alcohol has really lowered his inhibitions.

  Of course Tony has never doubted the man’s ambition. Not since Howard and Maria’s deaths. It’s not particularly threatening considering the man’s disposition. He’s never one to pick outright conflict, choosing instead to worm his way up the ladder from behind the scenes. Oddly timid underneath all of his charming confidence.

  “Well I’ll give the company to Peter. Let him choose what he wants to do with it - if he wants to take ownership of it or hand control over to someone else.”

  He’d been thinking more about what he was going to do with SI for a long time. Definitely since having Peter, but it had started even before that. Losing your parents really makes you think about those kinds of things. At any moment you can lose everything.  

  “I’m sure he’d make a brilliant CEO. He’s already so similar to you.” Rhodey muses. 

  “Well I want him to at least have a choice.” Even Tony had had a choice when it came to SI. If he’d really wanted, he could’ve handed the company over to Obadiah back when he turned 21. In fact he’d almost come close several times. He could’ve taken a back seat and given control over to someone else but he never had been good at giving up control. Besides, SI is the way he makes his mark. The way he does something to improve this world. 

  “I’m sure Peter will be a great addition to the company.” Obadiah chuckles but there's something else there. Underneath. That chuckle does nothing for the unease building in Tony's stomach. Long after the night has ended the unease continues to eat away at him. Festering.

  It's nothing - just him misreading things. 

  Right...? 

  Still the uncertainty sticks with him. Even weeks after his birthday there's still a slight nagging doubt in the back of his mind but he pushes it aside to take care of Peter. Obie is family. He's been there everyday since Howard and Maria died. There was nothing else behind those words. 

  “Blue?” Peter asks, dragging Tony back to reality.

  He's rustling through the box of coloured pens in search of one specific shade of blue. There are so many pens in the box now it’s impossible to find the colour you’re looking for. Especially since so many of the colours look very similar from the exterior. 

  “Here.” Tony reaches over and picks up the blue pen from the floor. Earlier it had rolled off onto the floor but he’d hoped he wouldn’t have to get up and pick it up for him. When has he ever been lucky though? 

  “Thank you.” Peter hums and starts colouring again. 

  ‘Abbit is still on the counter top in front of him. He’s propped up against Tony’s tool box so he’s sat up and looking down at Peter’s artwork. Although they had to stitch up his ear a few days ago, for the most part he’s stayed in one piece. It’s miraculous considering all the places Peter has taken him over the last year. They can only hope that he never becomes too damaged to be repaired. If that ever happened Peter would be heartbroken.

  “Look!” Peter picks up the piece of paper from the top of the pile for Tony to see. It’s a mess of blues and reds (his favourite colours) all tangled together to make...something. It might be a boat of some kind...or maybe a house…? Somehow it could be basically anything while also being nothing. So he didn’t inherit Mary’s artistic talent - at least not yet. 

  “That’s great, kiddo. Add it to the pile.”

  Peter places the new drawing on the other stack of paper right next to Tony. This specific pile of Peter’s drawings was only made today but it’s already starting to get big. 

  “Wall, wall!” Peter points to the wall up ahead of them. It’s already plastered in nonsensical drawings but there is still some space near the top for new drawings. 

  Once upon a time he might have scoffed at the thought of sticking crappy kid drawings up on the wall but they’ve surprisingly grown on him. As crappy as they are, he’s just as happy to be hanging them up as Peter. The bright colours contrast the sharp white and grey walls of the lab in the same way the art Pepper brought does. The only difference is that this art doesn’t cost a million dollars and is made by someone he actually cares about. He hadn’t been all that sad when he’d taken down Peppers art collection in favour of Peter’s growing portfolio. After all, she quickly found a place for them. 

  “Okay, okay.” Normally they wait until the end of the day to add the new drawings to the wall but Tony gets up to put the five new drawings up on the wall anyway. It’s not like he’s got any actual important work to do right now. 

  Peter and the bots follow close behind Tony as he walks over to stick the drawings up. The free space is so high up now that Tony can’t reach it from the ground. It’s times like this he wishes he’d been born just a few inches taller. Being short sucks in so many ways.

  Fortunately the counter top runs next to the empty space in the wall, providing a way to boost his height. He quickly brushes the clutter off of the counter onto the floor and jumps up. DUM-E, Butterfingers and U have to dodge out of the way of the falling materials as they scatter across the floor chaotically. 

  He reaches over and carefully fixes each one to the wall. To give Peter credit, each of them look very different. There's no two that look the same despite how many drawing there are now hung up. 

  “There you go.” Tony hum proudly and jumps down onto the ground next to Peter. 

  He's about to pack up the pens and paper when Peter catches him. 

  “You draw.” He hands Tony a blank piece of paper and points at the pens. 

  Tony has never been, and will never be, an artist. Ask him to draw a technical drawing and he can make a masterpiece but actual creative art is not one of his many fortes. 

  “Why not.” Tony mumbles, taking a pen from the box. It’s the same blue pen Peter had been using earlier - a soft sky blue. Not entirely sure what he’s going to draw, he begins colouring the top half of the paper in blue to match a summer sky. Beneath the blue he quickly makes a dark green carpet that stretches out across the whole length of the paper. 

  “Sky!” Peter points to the messy blue area that only vaguely resembles the sky. 

  “Yeah, well done.”

  “Where the sun?” Peter frowns, his delicate eyebrows knitting together. 

  “I didn't draw it yet.”

  Not even giving Tony an opportunity to finish his own drawing, Peter reaches into the box and grabs a golden pen. It's a bit darker than Tony would've chosen but he lets Peter go ahead with it anyway. It's not exactly what you would call a circle but it’s better than most of the other drawings he's done.

  “Looking good.”

  “You draw.” Peter says forcefully once again. 

  It ends up being more of a joint drawing with everything Tony draws being slowly taken over by Peter.

  When Tony starts drawing a little house, Peter is the one to add the odd shaped windows, the turrets (apparently houses should have turrets now) and the five patterned chimneys. The trees that decorate the foreground are quickly given bright red apples that are considerably out of proportion. It's a chaotic mess of Tony's basic, neat drawings and Peters crazy messy uniqueness. It's not going to be winning any awards ever but he likes it more than most of the other pieces of art he has hung up around the mansion. 

  They're interrupted before they can finish by a new arrival. 

  “Sir, Miss. Potts is on her way down.” JARVIS announces, snapping Tony and Peter out of their bubble. 

  “Any idea what it's about?” Tony mumbles, finishing up the bit of colouring he was doing. 

  “I am unsure. There is nothing pressing in your inbox.” JARVIS hums thoughtfully. Right now he must be scanning through all of Tony's accounts - studying all of the schedules and notes Pepper has made. 

  They don't need to wait long as Pepper appears in front of the lab. Although Tony keeps colouring, Peter sets down his pen and begins running over to Pepper. 

  “Good evening Peter.” She bends down and gives him a quick hug. 

  “Drawing!” He points to the wall of drawings. 

  “They look beautiful. You’re a great artist.” She lets go of Peter and stands up, “I need to talk to your daddy for a second. Why don’t you go and play with DUM-E, Butterfingers and U?” 

  “Okay. Come on.” He waves over the bots who have been diligently staying out of the way. 

  As soon as Peter approaches they spark to life once again. The tentative quiet of before is gone as they all start chattering to one another loudly.

  Just like his brothers, U wastes no time bringing a red rubber ball over to Peter. He drops it right by Peters feet and waits patiently for him to throw it. It's still unclear as to why they're all so obsessed with the ball. He wonders whether it's something to do with his coding or whether they've just learnt it from each other. Nonetheless it's become an endearing trait that is expected of them. 

  “I need to talk to you about the state of affairs in our other branches.” She clears her throat and shuffles her files around. 

  “Do we have to? I’m in the middle of a masterpiece here.” He looks down at the brightly coloured mess he's now officially claiming as his own. 

  “I can see that…” She peers over his shoulder at the drawing, “It’s very...interesting.” She bites the insode of her cheek as she tries to decide on the right words to describe 

  “Well that’s what we were going for.” 

  “Well since your partner in crime is off busying himself with other tasks, you should have a few minutes to spare for me.” She quickly takes a seat next to Tony to force him to pay attention to her, “The main issue is our Italian branch - I feel like they’d benefit from a visit. Something to boost productivity.”

  “A visit? Now?”

  “Yes, now. It’s not like things are going to improve just because we ignore them.” She begins spreading out her files on the desk for him to look at but he just resumes his drawing. Once she's gone he'll look at them but for now he's happy doing what he's doing. 

  “You never know until you try.” He suggests which gets an eye roll from Pepper. 

  “The plane is scheduled to leave in three days. I’ve booked three hotel rooms for all of us in Florence.”

  “I don’t think I remember agreeing.”

  “Too bad. It’s all booked now.”

  Peter chattering draws Tony's attention off of Pepper. Going on a plane to another part of the US is different to leaving the continent all together. Although they've all gone on the plane to New York before, they hadn't actually left the country yet. Staying in New York is fine since May and Ben live their but there's no one they

  “What about Peter?”

  Staying in New York is fine since May and Ben live their but there's no one they could stay with in Italy. They'd have to get a hotel.which would be a risk.

  “He’s going to come with us - that’s why I booked three rooms. Happy will come too to take care of Peter while we’re out during the day.”

  “Isn’t that risky?” So far they'd done quite well keeping Peter a secret, they wouldn't want to go ruin all that now. 

  “Well it’s not like you’re going to leave without him, is it?”

  It's true, he'd promised way back when and he wasn't breaking that promise now. Besides if they were indeed going to Italy Peter deserves to come too. He'd enjoy seeing a new country and culture. 

  “Look look” Peter runs over. DUM-E, Butterfingers and U all follow behind him like puppies. In DUM-E’s claw is the fire extinguisher that Tony had hidden in the cupboard.

  “Uh oh.” Ever since moving to this new mansion he’d tried to keep the device out of his oldests claws. It’s hard to forget the damage he used to enjoy doing with the thing. He’d thought those days might be behind them but apparently not. He honestly fears for the safety of everything in the room. There’s no way they’re getting out of this unscathed.

  “Where did you find that?” Pepper tries to step forward and grab it from DUM-E but he is too quick for her. 

  “There.” He points to the now empty cupboard. All of Tony's tools are spilling out onto the floor - it's going to be a nightmare to clean up later. 

  Before Tony or Pepper can stop him, DUM-E has squeezes the triggers causing a stream of white gas to spray out over all of them. All of them are caught up in it, being doused completely in the gas.

  Pepper freezes in position, every part of her body tensed up to a point Tony didn't even know was possible. Every breath is laboured and controlled to keep her from boiling over. If she didn't look so funny he'd feel bad for her. 

  Unlike Pepper, Tony’s used to this kind of treatment from his oldest. He’d hoped it was a phase he’d grown out of but clearly not. At this point being doused in carbon dioxide is the least of his troubles. In fact he almost finds it funny - if he wasn’t trying to drill it out of DUM-E he’d probably laugh like Peter is.

  “Don’t you dare laugh.” She scowls furiously. Instead of blaming DUM-E her accusatory finger is pointed directly at Tony. 

  “What did I do? It had nothing to do with me.” At least he hopes it has nothing to do with him. From what he can tell, DUM-E and the others picked up this behaviour all on their own. Not all their bad behaviour is a direct result of being around Tony. 

  "You know what you did." Even though he doesn't know what he did it's easier to just go with what she says. “I’m going to leave now but this doesn’t get you out of going to Florence.” 

  Pepper stands by what she says and efficiently has all four of them on their plane in good time a few days later.

  For a change they’ve decided to use one of Tony’s smaller planes. Even so, with only Peter, Tony, Pepper and Happy travelling there’s more than enough space.

  As usual Peter is sat by Tony’s side with Pepper opposite him for extra protection. 

  Normally Happy would sit with them but this time he’s chosen to take a seat a few rows away. From this distance Tony can just about see him lying back in his chair, his mouth open slightly as he drools into the arm rest. 

  Tony smiles fondly - he almost wants to take a picture of the sight. Poor man’s had terrible sleep for months now so it’s nice to see him finally resting. Never in his waking moments does he look this peaceful anymore. Not since meeting Tony. What does that say about him?

  “Wass that?” Peter pressed his face up against the glass window of the plane. One of his fingers is squished against the glass pointing at one of the millions of miniscule things down below them.

  “Clouds.” Tony mumbles quietly. Although he’s not able to see exactly what Peter is referring to it’s not particularly hard to guess since beyond the thick glass windows is nothing but thick white clouds obscuring everything beneath them from view.

  Right now they must be somewhere over Italy although you’d never be able to tell from up here. There’s not long of the actual flight left now so they must be getting close to Florence now. If there weren’t so many clouds the view would surely be amazing.

  For as long as he can remember he’s loved being up high. Soaring way above the world below until everything fades into nothing. Pinpricks in the distance. Like the stories he was told about Icarus.

  There’s something freeing about being so separated from the rest of the world. It’s the reason he usually takes the window seat instead of Peter.

  “Clouds.” Peter whispers under his breath, completely immersed in his own world. He tugs at Tony’s sleeve, bringing him closer to the window. With Peter’s tiny size it’s not hard for Tony to peer over Peter’s shoulder to join him looking out of the window.

  A sudden, loud snore interrupts them both from their comfortable spot. Peter’s head whips around and almost smashes into Tony’s nose. Thankfully Tony has enough insight to dodge out of the way to avoid any injuries on either part. 

  “Happy?” Peter mumbles worriedly. He’s leaning forward in the chair to try and get a better look at Happy. Seeing him lying back in the chair asleep doesn’t appear to do much to soothe his racing mind as he stares up at Tony worriedly and points to Happy.

  “Happy’s fine - he’s just sleeping.” Tony tries to reassure him with little success, “I promise he’s fine. I’ll show you.” He picks Peter up and walks him over to Happy.

  All the way over to the chair Peter leans out of Tony’s arms to try and get closer to Happy. It’s endearing to see Peter so worked up over Happy’s safety. 

  “Look, see.” Tony bends down so Peter is within touching distance of Happy. As tentatively as possible, Peter reaches forward and pokes Happy’s cheek. Even though Happy is a deep sleeper he groans and tries to swat away Peter’s hand lazily in his sleep which makes Peter giggle quietly to himself. 

  Seeing Happy lying there vulnerable and open gives Tony an idea. His hand reaches into his pocket and searches for the pens he knows he has in their somewhere. They’re just cheap biros, not the type he usually carries with him, but they’re perfect for this situation. Most of his expensive fountain pens aren’t exactly suitable for a kid Peter’s age. Especially not since he’s not beyond the point of eating thing Tony gives him yet.

  Handing one pen over to Peter, he’s taken back to his MIT days. All those days spent lazily lounging about in their dorm room before things went sideways. It’s strange how much things have changed since then.

  Sure, most of their days were spent working on projects and messing around in the lab but they still had days where they just did nothing, normally while Tony was recovering from his hangover. They were always the best days. When there was nothing expected of him and nothing to do but pass the time. No deadlines. No pressure. No stress.

  Sometimes while Mary was passed out they would pull out their pens and start doodling all over her skin - using her as their own personal notepad. He’s still immensely proud of some of those drawings. In fact he did some of his best works of art on her face in the middle of the night.

  With Happy like this it would be irresponsible _not_ to relive the old days and take a pen to his face. Besides, he’s got to start teaching Peter some of his tricks. He can’t have the kid going around being too responsible and well mannered. It would defeat the point of childhood. 

  “Shh.” He presses his finger to his lips, remembering that Pepper is still only a few seats away. Peter mirrors him and nods as he watches Tony intently.   

  As a demonstration, Tony starts drawing a dog on Happy’s forehead. Luckily Happy isn’t too sweaty so the ink flows fairly well - decorating his skin neatly. However it isn’t long before that neatness is disrupted since Peter begins making his own masterpiece. 

  It’s not entirely clear what Peter was aiming for when he put his pen onto Happy’s cheek. Maybe a car of some kind but honestly, it’s anyone’s guess. The random mess of scribbles takes up considerably more space than Tony’s doodles - filling up both cheeks and even traversing over the bridge of his nose. It’s a miracle he doesn’t wake up as a result of the force of Peter’s pen on his cheek. It certainly doesn’t look light or gentle. 

  “Let’s give him a makeover shall we.” Tony tries to stay as quiet as possible. Without any other passengers around to drown out their voices it’s way too easy for Pepper to overhear them. Even with his voice this quiet he’s worried that she’s going to hear him. Either she’s not paying attention or she doesn’t care because she doesn’t try to stop him and Peter from continuing.

  In true Tony Stark fashion he finishes off the makeover with a beard to match his own. Even though it doesn’t look bad he doesn’t wear it nearly as well as Tony. Then again who does? Although maybe comparing a scribbled on beard to the real thing isn’t fair. I mean, who looks great with scribble all over their face?

  Even though Tony has finished, Peter is still happily scribbling. Completely forgetting that he’s supposed to be staying quiet he starts giggling mischievously. As he scribbles he looks over to Tony for approval which he gives happily. It might not be a work of art but it’s brilliant nonetheless. Pepper and Happy won’t approve in the slightest but he loves it and that’s all that matters. At least in Tony’s mind.

  “What are you doing?” Pepper eyes them both up. At the sound of Peter’s giggling she’s gotten up out of her chair and is glaring at both of them. With he hands on her hips, casting an intimidating shadow upon the two of them. 

  Before she can catch sight of anything, he takes the pen out of Peter’s hand and slips both into his pocket. The movement is just about small enough to go unnoticed from this distance but that doesn’t make her any less suspicious. Peter frowns at the space where the pen used to be but thankfully stays quiet. 

  “I can’t believe you’d insinuate that me and Peter were doing anything wrong.” Tony says cooly, trying to feign innocence. Of course, the evidence against them is clearly scrawled all over Happy’s face but he’s decides to play innocent anyway. 

  “Tony…” She crosses her arms and glares at him.

  “What?” She’s not going to intimidate him into submission. Whenever something happens she always assumes the worst and, although she’s always right, he’d rather not submit to her. 

  “What did you do?”

  “Nothing. We’re completely innocent.” 

  As she begins approaching Tony backs up from Happy, putting some space between himself and the evidence. Unfortunately as soon as she gets close to Happy she can see exactly what they’ve done.

  “He was like that when we found him.” Tony clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck with his free hand.

  In an attempt to win Pepper over, Peter shrugs cutely. He bites his lower lip and flashes the cutest puppy dog eyes he can muster. He probably shouldn’t be as proud as he is in that moment. One of Peter’s finest moments so far, at least in his opinion. 

  “Sure he was.” She rolls her eyes but the corners of her mouth are twisted upwards ever so slightly. She bites down on her lip in a failed attempt at disguising it. 

  Before she can chew him out, the lights above each of the seats flashes on forcing them all to return to their seats. Since Happy doesn’t have his seatbelt on Pepper has to reach over and attach it for him which gives Tony and Peter a chance to slip by and return to their own seats. While she’s busy sorting Happy out, Tony clips Peter into the seat beside the window again. 

  Outside the window the clouds begin drawing closer, moving to envelope them. Just before they surround them the clouds dissipate leaving leaving only the blue sky around them. The planes engines whirl loudly, drowning out the other sounds.

  While Pepper is sat comfortably in her seat again, Peter isn’t anywhere near as comfortable. Much like the other time they’ve been on a plane his hands are clenched over his ears and his face is screwed up tightly. Tears dribble down his red cheeks but he doesn’t dare take his hands off of his ears. 

  “Here, eat this.” He hands Peter a peeled orange. If the last few plane trips have taught him anything it’s that you need to be prepared. It wont do much but it’s better than nothing. 

  Peter tries to take his hands off of his ears but just as quickly as they’re taken off, they’re back on. The tears are stronger now, cutting straight through Tony’s heart. Splitting it in two. 

  “Come on, try to eat it.” Tony even goes ahead and separates the segments, popping one in Peter’s mouth. Now he chews it without complaining, the tears still pouring down his cheeks.

  Once half of the orange has been eaten he reaches into his bag and grabs Peter’s cup. He holds it up for Peter to drink from, keeping it steady as the plane rumbles. With the cup in his mouth his tears have been drowned out somewhat which makes things quieter in the cabin. However that reprieve doesn't last long as he quickly downs the water and pushes the cup away from his face.

  Fortunately, at that moment the plane touches down on the runway and begins its rapid deceleration. All the bumping shocks Peter causing the crying to suddenly end.

  “We’re here now.” Tony reassures Peter softly, “It’s all okay now.”

  “Dada.” He mutters quietly and burrows his head into his ‘Abbit.

  “It’s okay - I’m right here and I’m not leaving.”

  For the most part he’s not lying. Although he has to go off to the office everyday, whenever he’s not working he’s practically glued to Peter’s side. 

 While him and Pepper are here working, Happy is taking care of Peter which annoys him more than it probably should. Happy’s job isn’t to babysit Peter so he doesn’t need to be there helping out but Tony can’t help but be frustrated that he’s there instead of Tony. For the most part he tries not to get jealous - it’s not a good look on him - but when it comes to Peter a lot of things are different.

  After days of hot office work Tony is exhausted. Somehow working in an office is more tiring than running around after Peter. Unlike his lab there is next to no air conditioning in the room. Heat wraps around his neck like a snake, slowly choking him. Every ounce of energy is slowly being sapped out and all he’s doing is sitting down in front of a table day after day.

  Just to keep himself sane he has to fiddle around with whatever object is in his vicinity. No one says anything about his pen clicking but he can practically hear them snapping with frustration every time he clicks it. It’s a small, childish retaliation but retaliation nonetheless. 

  Every time someone starts talking about something boring (which is practically the whole day) Tony lets his mind wander and think about what Peter is doing at that moment. It can’t be healthy to spend all your time thinking about one person. To devote all your mental space to them. This is exactly what he’d been avoiding when he stayed away from relationships. What he was avoiding for all those years after his parents deaths. This kind of attachment is what gets people killed. What makes people do stupid things. They’re distractions he can’t afford. He wants to be able to say that he wishes he had never had Peter but even in his head he can’t say that. He can’t now and he never will be able to. There’s not a single doubt in his mind that, no matter how much of a stupid idea it is to get attached, nothing better has ever happened to him. 

  Every day after finishing up at the office both him and Pepper head straight back to the hotel room. Normally Pepper would try to convince him to put in some extra hours so he can actually finish his work for a change but ever since arriving in Florence she’s not even bothered. No way that’s going to happen. Although they might be here for business, all of them have been treating this as more of a vacation. However so far the exploring and travelling has been minimal. 

  Bringing Peter was more hassle than he'd expected but he stands his ground. They might have to be sneaky everytime they enter the hotel and always arrive separately but it's worth all the trouble. At least Peter and Happy get to enjoy and explore Florence, even if Tony and Pepper are busy working. 

  “We’re going to the beach.” Tony announces as they arrive at the end of the two week trip.

  “No way. We're going straight back home because we have meetings and appointments scheduled for tomorrow morning - not to mention there's a private plane waiting for us right now!” Pepper massages her temple with her free hand while the other clutches her suitcase. Unlike everyone else she's actually ready to leave a fact she is continuously reminding them of. Every time she mentions it Happy appears to lose more of his hair, a slight tinge of red creeping up his face as he gets more and more frustrated and impatient. 

  “Too bad. We're going to the beach.” There's no way he's letting them leave without at least visiting the beach or doing something not SI related. 

  “No, and that's final.” She opens the door trying to usher them out the door. 

  Although Tony plays along, carrying Peter out the door to the cab, he has no plans to get in that plane. Not now anyway. The great thing about having all the money is that when it gets down to it, he has the final say. Pepper can order him about all she wants but she can't truly stop him. 

  When they get down Happy goes straight to the back of the car with all the bags while Pepper, Tony and Peter hop into the cooled interior of the cab.

  There's enough space in the cab for Peter to have his own seat so naturally he refuses to sit on Tony or Peppers lap. It's bad enough that he’s not in his own car seat so there's no way he's old enough to sit on his own - not that he's listening to reason. 

  While Pepper is busy dealing with Peter, Tony leans forward to talk to the driver.

  “Change of plan, drive us to the nearest beach.” Tony announces to the driver. Instantaneously, Pepper stops what's she's doing to lean forward and do the same. 

  “Ignore him, we've got a plane to catch. The airport is still our destination.” However the driver can hardly hear her over Tony’s instructions to go to the beach.

  The poor driver is frowning and looking around uncertainly. One finger is hovering over the GPS system, not committing to either destination. In order to actually get somewhere, Tony slips his hand into his pocket and pulls out 100€, pushing it into the drivers hand. Sure enough, it sways him enough for him to finally set the destination for the closest beach. 

  “Tony! You can't just do that!” She seethes. He doesn't think there's ever been more wrinkles on her forehead than at that moment. Her eyebrows are knotted together as she tries to suppress her quickly rising fury. Paired with her redding face it's pretty clear Tony is never going to hear the end of this. 

  “I can and I just did.” Tony grins charmingly. He raises his eyebrows challengingly but Pepper leans back in her seat and clutches Peter to her chest. 

  “There's a plane waiting for us. We're late enough as it is.” She hisses just as Happy gets in the cab. Now that they're all sat down and the bags are away the red tint to his face has faded and he's smiling broadly once again. 

  “What's happening?” He loses his smile once again and looks between Pepper and Tony uncertainly. 

  “Tony's paid the cab driver to take us to the beach.”

  “What? We don't even have beach stuff with us!”

  “We’ll be fine. I've got plenty of money - we can just buy anything we need.”

  “We’re not even near a beach - it'll take us ages to get back to the airport.”

  “Then it’ll just have to wait.”

  Pepper is once again right about them not being near a beach. In fact they have to sit in the cab for around an hour before reaching the coast line. It’s lucky the roads were most quiet or the trip could’ve ended up much longer. 

  As much as he’d like to be able to say that Pepper and Happy warm up to the idea as they get closer, no such thing happens. In fact the exact opposite happens. With every minute they spend going away from the airport, Happy’s leg tapping gets faster. By the time they get to the beach, he’s graduated to tapping his fingers on the car window too. 

  Only Peter and Tony actually look excited about the prospect of the sea. 

  “Beach, beach, beach.” Peter chants quietly as he bounces up and down on Pepper’s lap. She holds him tighter to keep him from bouncing although it does little to actually stop him. 

  “See, Peter thinks it’s a great idea.”

  “He’s two.” Pepper rolls his eyes, “He also thinks eating batteries is a good idea.” Sure, she has a point but it’s not like that’s going to make Tony change his mind. If it makes Peter happy then it makes him happy.

  Even when they get out of the car and walk up to the beach Pepper and Happy refuse to relax and enjoy themselves. They trundle along behind Tony and Peter as they start heading over to kiosk on the edge of the beach.

  “Go choose a bucket and spade.” Tony crouches down to Peter’s height and points to the rack of buckets and spades waiting outside the kiosk. He nods and takes Happy’s hand, leading him over to help him choose.

  For now they only buy a bucket and spade and some sun block since there’s nowhere for them to actually change into swimming costumes. Besides, this trip is more for Peter than anyone else. Give him a chance to relax on a beach that isn’t the one near their house.

  “Come on and relax a little. No point stressing over things.” Tony sighs as they finally lay down on the sun beds.

  While Pepper and Happy have taken seats underneath the umbrella on the sun loungers, Tony has chosen a lounger in the sun. With the sunblock on him, Peter is able to play in the sand at the foot of Tony’s lounger. Although they have to watch him to make sure he doesn’t try to eat any of the sand, they’re mostly letting him to his own thing. 

  “Not all of us are fine with ditching all responsibilities.” Pepper sighs but she lies back in her sun lounger anyway. None of them are dressed for the beach but that’s not going to stop them from enjoying the sun while they’re here. 

  “Just look at him.” Tony gestures to Peter. He’s happily scooping up sand into his bucket, most of it falling off of the spade and dropping back onto the ground pathetically. Nonetheless he’s giggling excitedly, practically throwing the sand up in the air. This is why he brought them here. To see this moment.

  “We’ll have to reschedule some of your appointments and meetings.” Pepper mutters more to herself than anyone else. 

  Normally at this point she'd pull out her phone and begin completely reorganising his schedule but instead she lies back down on the sun lounger and closes her eyes. With her eyes closed she looks much more peaceful than she usually let's on. Relaxed in a way her usual lifestyle doesn't allow for.

  Sunbeams ricochet off of her skin, catching the glistening sweat that's clinging to her for head. With the sun high in the sky her freckles stand out even more than they usually do. The look suits her. Next time they go to the Malibu beach they should bring Pepper along too instead of leaving her to work.

  Even though they're not in beach clothes l, Happy looks almost exactly the same as he does every time they go down to the beach. Although he stresses about most things, much of that stress melts away under the hot sun leaving him looking even more peaceful than Pepper does. It's clear that unlike Tony and Pepper he's already caught the sun from exploring the city with Peter everyday

  “You wanna make a sand castle Peter?” Tony asks as he sits up from his lounger.

  “Yes!”

  “Let me show you.” He hops down onto the sand next to Peter. The sand is warmer than he'd anticipated but it's not too hot to be unpleasant. At least not yet. 

  Carefully taking the spade from Peter, he scoops up enough sand to fill the bucket to the top. With the flat side of the spade he pats down the sand so the top appears as flat as possible. After watching Tony, Peter begins hitting the top with the palm of his hand. Everytime his hand makes contact with the sand he giggles excitedly.

  “There you go. You're getting it. Now we need to flip it over.”

  “Flip it over.” Peter repeats seriously, taking stock of the new phrase. 

  “Yeah, like this.” He grabs ahold of the bucket and carefully overturns it, slamming it onto the ground as he does so, “Now you tapping the top again.” Tony starts demonstrating but his hand is quickly knocked away by Peter so he can hit it instead. 

  After an extended session of tapping the bucket, Tony is finally free to gently lift the bucket off of the mound of sand. Peter bends down as close as he can to the bucket, staring as the sand castle underneath is revealed. 

  “Yay! Sandcastle!” He cheers and claps his hands as the sandcastle stands proudly in front of him. Not even ten seconds later though, he stops clapping and smashes his hand straight through the sand castle. As it crumbles in front of him he giggles and claps even louder. 

  “Again! Again! Again!” He screeches and grabs the bucket from Tony. 

  Now he completely disregards the spade, he grabs the sand with his bare hands and starts filling the bucket up. Tony sits back and lets him do his thing, content to just watch him working. Now he's able to do most of it on his own but has to let Tony ake over when it comes to flipping the bucket over.

  Buying the bucket and spade was definitely the right choice. Even though all he’s doing is making and breaking the same kind of sand castle, it manages to keep him busy for a whole hour. That hour gives the rest of them some well needed and deserved down time. 

  As Peter busies himself, Tony sits back on the sand next to him. His head rests on the sun lounger as he sits on the warm sand.

  Now he doesn’t need to give Peter his full attention he begins looking around at his surroundings more. Listening to the people around him he picks up random pieces of english and italian conversations whirling around him. It’s been years since he’s properly heard italian. Not since Maria died has he heard anything more than a few passing comments here and there. Although May speaks italian the two of them have never actually had a conversation since they’re the only two who would be able to join in the conversation. 

  “Hey Peter, do you want me to teach you Italian?”

  They're stopped from their lessons as Tony's phone starts ringing. He's about to hang up when he sees Rhodeys name on the screen. Oh great... 

  “Tony? What’s going on? They told me you never turned up for your flight?” Rhodey’s voice crackles through the mobile.

  If anyone is going to freak out over this it's going to be Rhodey. He'd really been hoping that he wouldn't find out - at least not until they were back in the US. He's got a habit of making a big deal out of these things. 

  “Yeah, we decided not to catch the plane.”

  “You decided not - Tony! You can’t just decide not to.” He hisses as quietly as possible. They mustve called him about their no show at the airport while Rhodey was still at work otherwise he'd be yelling at the top of his lungs. 

  “What difference does it make to you?”

  “It’s not about me but it does make a difference to me actually. You’re supposed to be  working on new weapons for the army. The ones you were telling me about, remember.” It's hard to forget considering they've been breathing down his neck about it for months. 

  “I’m still doing that - don’t worry.” 

  “Just promise me you’ll come home soon.”

  “Promise.”

  Although he promises, soon is such a vague term. Too much ambiguity. Despite knowing exactly what period of time Rhodey would be referring too, Tony decides to go with his own definition. After all, he’s not technically lying.

  Neither Happy nor Pepper hassle him about leaving, letting them waste away the hours on the beach. Pepper even goes down to the sea with him, holding his hands as they paddle in the sea.

  The warmth of her small, supple hands in his own is more pleasant than it should be - at least until Peter comes over and starts splashing them. Even though they’re both in expensive, non-waterproof clothes neither of them mind in the slightest. Since the sun is so harsh it’s actually quite pleasant to be doused in water. 

  Eventually though they do have to head back to the airport. No one is impressed with their little stunt but even Pepper and Happy don’t care anymore. It’s not like there was any lasting damage done.

  When they get back into the plane they all sit opposite one another in a group of four on the empty plane. Pepper sits beside him, her head lolling over to rest on his shoulder. 

  Unfortunately the peace doesn’t last long beyond the moment when they get off of the plane. The spell is broken and they go back to how they’ve always been.

  As Tony sits down behind his computer and opens a new holographic design screen. 

  “J.A.R.V.I.S, save this to a new project file.”

  “What do want to call it?”

  “Jericho.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things really kick off next chapter and the proper story gets started. Been looking forward to this for a long time.


	7. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Peter are separated, forcing them both to evolve in unexpected ways to keep themselves from being torn apart again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, this is a monster chapter. Somehow it almost became 30,000 words...

**Family comes together, for always and forever. Whether for work or for play they somehow find a way for family to come together, because families are forever.**

**\- Glaedr**

 

~~~

 

  “It's only for one day, I'll be back before you know it.” Tony brushes Peters hair out of his face. 

  They're stood outside the plane saying their goodbyes. Originally only Rhodey and Tony were going to go to the airport while Happy and Peter waited back home but Peter was already in the car with his suitcase when they were ready to leave.  Before Pepper had gone off for her birthday celebrations she'd tried to help get Peter out of the car but even she had failed. 

  They'd spent the whole day before trying to explain that Peter wasn't coming but clearly they'd just wasted their time. Normally he'd have no qualms about having Peter tag along but Afghanistan isn't exactly the best place for a three year old. The compromise had been to spend as little time as possible there, getting back the very next day for Peter. 

  “Promise?” Peter mumbles sticking his bottom lip out. 

  “I promise.”

  “Really?” Peter takes a deep breath and looks up at Tony hopefully. In the sunlight his brown eyes look more like melted chocolate than their usual hazle colour. More like Tony's own eyes. 

  “Really.”

  Peter tackles him in a hug, letting go of the suitcase he'd been clutching all day. It falls down to the ground, waiting there until Happy finally comes over to pick it up again. ‘Abbit, who is still in Peters other hand, bashes against Tony's head as he hugs him. 

  “I'll miss you.” Peter whispers into Tony's chest as he clings to him. 

  “Me too Sparky.” 

  “Then why are you going?” Tony sighs deeply. It's hard to explain these kinds of things to Peter on a good day let alone now when he's upset. 

  “I have to go for work. I would bring you if I could but you would be in danger.”

  “Why you going then?” Peter frowns and tugs gently at ‘Abbit’s ear. He won't meet Tony's eyes, resigning himself to staring at ‘Abbit.

  “I don't have a choice. I’ll be fine - don't you worry about me.” Tony pats his head gently. With one hand he tilts Peters chin up to meet his eyes, “See you tomorrow morning.”

  “Don't be late.” Peter chides Tony with the same nagging finger Happy taught him. It's enough to lighten up the almost somber day. 

 

  Of course, that doesn't happen.

 

  Stupidly he goes in a separate humvee to Rhodey once the Jericho presentation is over. Something about a ‘ _funvee’_. In reality he just wanted space. He supposes hes got that now.

  When the first explosion goes off he's scared but not _that_ scared. Things like this happen a lot in this area and he's surrounded by highly trained soldiers. Good people. 

  Then they start falling around him. Every single one of them being gunned down while he sits in the humvee uselessly. So he gets out. Inside he has no control. He's trapped. Outside there are weapons and space for him to escape.

  He even tricks himself into thinking he might get out of this alive until a bomb falls beside him with his name on it. Literally. **Stark Industries** written in bold across the front. No matter how hard he tries to scramble away, it's not far enough. Not fast enough. 

  All he can hear as he blacks out is the sounds of innocent people dying all around him. And it's all his fault. 

  Now instead of being at home with Peter he's here bleeding out on a table. He can't move and can only watch as people crowd around him. Hands reach into his chest as he lays there, frozen.

  The pain is so unbearable he feels like he's about to pass out but every time he starts to lose consciousness, a new stab of pain just drags him back. 

  When he does finally fall unconscious, the last thing he thinks about is the SI logo that was printed on the side missile. A bomb that is now slowly killing him.

 

  For the first time he’s going to break his promise. 

 

~~~

 

  “Where we going?” Peter mumbles quietly.

  He wants Dada. Pepper says he's gone away for a little while but that doesn't make sense. He promised he would be back in the morning and now it's been three days. Dada never breaks his promises. Never. Except now. 

  “You're going to stay with Uncle Ben and Aunt May for a little while.” Pepper sighs sadly as they open the door to Uncle Ben and Aunt May's building.

  It's so cold in their building that he has to wrap his big coat around him. Not like home where it's still too warm for coats, even though it's February. Secretly, he quite likes it. The cold. It's nice to be able to wear big coats and fluffy mittens. Nicer than always wearing shorts. 

  “Just until Dada comes home?” Peter mutters quietly.

  He'd waited for hours and hours for Dada to come home the next morning but he never came. Not even at lunch or in time for bed time stories. Happy had to read him one again but it wasn't as good. Even when Pepper and Happy had told him that Dada was going to go away for awhile he hadn’t believed them. Not even now would he believe.

  “Yes - just until then.”

  “I don't want to.” Peter stops still in the middle of the staircase. When Dada gets home he's going to go straight home, what will he do if Peters not there? Will he think Peter doesn't like him anymore? 

  “You don't get to choose.” Pepper bends down and pleads with him. She doesn't pick him up or force him to move because she doesn't need to. As soon as she shows him her sad eyes he starts to move again. Although he's upset he doesn't want to make her sad. Doesn't want to make anyone sad. 

  “Why not?” 

  “I'm sorry Peter but that's just the way things are.” He believes her. She seems just as sad as he is which makes him feel a bit better. Not a lot but a bit. 

  “I want Dada.” He whispers to ‘Abbit as they reach Uncle Ben and Aunt May’s door. 

  “He can't be here, sweetie. If he could he would.” Pepper crouches down instead of knocking on the door like she normally does. 

  “I want to stay with you.” He tugs at her arm, wanting to drag them both back home. Both of them need to be there ready for when Dada gets back. 

  “I can't look after you Peter.” She carefully pulls her hand out of his reach to stop his tugging. 

  “Why not?” 

  “I'm not your family.”

  “Yes you are. And Happy. And Uncle Rho Rho. And DUM-E and Butterfingers and U.” He lists them all off on his fingers. Their family. All of them need to stay together always. It's the way things are. Family stays together forever. 

  “I'm not really family though. I just work for your Dada.” She strokes his curly hair tenderly. 

  It doesn't make any sense. How is she not family? Dada always says she is and it feels like she is. What makes her different? Why is she not family but Uncle Ben and Aunt May are? 

  “What about DUM-E, Butterfingers and U?” No matter how much Peter has argued, Pepper didn't let him take them on the plane. Said there was no space for them with his aunt and uncle. 

  “Happy and Uncle Rho Rho are going to take care of them.” 

  “Why can't I stay at home with them too?” He crosses his arm and scowls. Why do DUM-E, Butterfingers and U get to stay at home but Peter has to leave. It's not fair. 

  “I promise I’ll sure to visit you as often as possible.” 

  “Promise?” 

  “Pinky swear.” She holds out her little finger for Peter to take. Although he links it with his own he doesn’t believe her. Adults always make promises. 

  Once Peter let's go she reaches up and knocks on the door. There's a loud shuffle as someone start moving around behind the door. 

  “Peter?” Aunt May opens the door and crouches down to his height, “How are you doing sweetheart?” She asks sadly. He’s not sure why she’s so sad. Does she not want him here? Normally she’s happy to see him. Well if she doesn’t want him here that’s okay - he doesn’t want to be here either. Soon Dada will come to take him home and everything will be okay again.

  “He’s doing okay mostly. He seems more confused than anything else.”

  “Poor boy.” Aunt May sighs and strokes his cheek gently. Despite knowing Aunt May very well he sticks close to Pepper, his fingers gripping onto her trouser legs. They’re his favourite trousers - the material soft and silky, a bit like his bed sheets. 

  “Ben not in?” Pepper frowns and leans to look around the doorway for Peter’s uncle.

  “Not yet. He’s on his way home now. I’ve got some coffee brewed if you want to come in for a drink. I’m sure Peter would appreciate the company while he adjusts.”

  “That would be lovely, thanks.” Aunt May steps out of the way and Pepper walks in. As she moves away the trouser leg is pulled out of his grasp leaving him frozen alone in the hallway, “Come on in Peter.” Pepper beckons him closer. One hand is extended towards him. Drawing him closer. Even though he’s uncertain about going in without Dada, he trusts Pepper. It doesn’t matter if she says she isn’t family, she feels like family. He trusts her almost as much as Dada.

  With his hand in hers, they both follow Aunt May into the familiar kitchen. It’s...cleaner than he remembers. Normally it’s so cluttered and messy - the opposite of home. Although it’s different he loves the messiness. It's just not right when it's clean. Now it's not like home and not like Aunt May and Uncle Ben’s. Just wrong. 

  “Take a seat.” Aunt May points at the couches. As they sit down, Peter scoots closer to Pepper. Making sure he’s always touching her. 

  It’s just them on the couch as Aunt May is still in the kitchen. She’s being very loud. Her coffee machine is much louder than Dada’s. 

  “Thank you, this is delicious.” Pepper hums as she sips the coffee.

  “It’s one of the few things I actually can make. Must be the Italian in me.” She chuckles strangely. It doesn’t sound like she’s really laughing. Just playing pretend. 

  “I asked about Peter but how are _you_? I know you and Tony are very close.” Aunt May’s hand moves to rest on Pepper’s leg cautiously.

  When her hand touches Pepper she starts frowning, her eyes going glittery. Is she crying? But crying is what Peter does. What Happy does when he watches the Lion King. Not what Pepper does. Pepper is too big and strong to cry. If she’s crying it must be very bad and scary. 

  Wanting to make her feel better he wraps his arms around her. It’s what she does when he is crying. Everytime it makes him feel better. Instead of making her feel better it seems to make her cry more. He does try to let go so she stops crying but she doesn’t let him. He doesn’t want to make her feel sad but he likes hugging her so he stays clinging on.

  “It’s been hard.” She bites her lower lip and breathes in deeply. So deeply he can feel her shaking as he hugs her. 

  “You can talk to me and Ben whenever you need to. Same goes for Happy and James. I know all of you are very close.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” But it sounds like another pretend. He’s gotten good at telling when she’s pretending. She almost pretends as much Dada. Not quite though. 

  “May?” The front door opens and Uncle Ben comes in.

  He looks very sleepy and his hair is all messy. It looks like his hair before Dada brushes it in the morning. Dada says his hair gets all tangly in the night because it’s so long and curly. He always says he wants to cut it but Peter doesn’t like the sound of that. Sounds scary even if Dada is cutting it. 

  “Pepper and Peter just arrived. I made some coffee.” Aunt May shows him where the coffee is but he doesn’t go to get any. Instead he comes over to Peter just like Aunt May did in the hallway. No one is telling him why they look so sad.

  “Hey Peter, you wanna look at your new bedroom?” 

  New bedroom? But he already has a bedroom...why would he need another here? What was wrong with his one at home? The one with all his toys and drawings and handprints on the walls. Part of him wants to explain this to Uncle Ben but he decides not to. They’ll figure out that he doesn’t need a room when Dada comes to get him.

  “Okay…” He finally slides forward on the couch until his feet to touch the floor below with a heavy thud. 

  “Come on kiddo.” Ben ruffles his hair as Peter’s face crumples up uncertainly. The nickname sounds wrong from Uncle Ben. It’s Dada’s nickname, no one else usually calls him that. 

  As he’s lead down the hall he looks back at Pepper and Aunt May talking quietly on the couch. He wants Pepper to come too but she’s busy now. Besides, he’s big three now - not a little baby anymore. While Dada’s gone he’s the man of the house so it’s time to act big. Make pretend until it stops being pretend. 

  “You should bring your suitcase.” Uncle Ben leads them over to the bags Pepper and Peter brought.

  Earlier they’d spent lots and lots of minutes packing all his stuff up. Even things Peter wasn’t going to need like his Dada sunglasses, summer hats and swimmers. Everything had been put in the bags. So much was gone the room looked boring and empty when they finished. 

  Although Uncle Ben picks up lots of the big bags, Peter makes sure he carries one of them. His favourite red suitcase where all of his teddies are. There are even wheels on it so he can drag it along behind him!

  “You carrying that all by yourself?” Peter nods as they walk next to each other.

  “Uh huh, I’m strong now!” He lets go of the suitcase to show off his muscles but as soon as he lets go the bag falls down. “Whoops.” He quickly picks it up again so Uncle Ben doesn't try to grab it himself. 

  “Wow! Such big muscles.” One day he wants big muscles like Dada. Working in the lab gives you big strong muscles, at least that’s what Dada says.

  “I’m big three now.” 

  “You’re getting bigger every day.” Uncle Ben mumbles quietly. Most of the time people say he’s very small. He’s even smaller than DUM-E, Butterfingers and U. Though he doesn’t mind being little, hearing Uncle Ben call him big makes his chest puff up. He holds his chin up high and smiles. Sometimes it’s good to be little but it’s also nice to be big too sometimes.

  “Here’s your room.” Uncle Ben lets him go into the room first. He doesn’t think he remembers this room but he isn’t sure. Maybe he does...it’s all very confusing and fuzzy. There’s lots of stuff he’s forgotten.

  Inside the room is empty. Not good empty though. There’s nothing but a little bed, bookcase and tall cup board in the room now. There are red blankets and pillows on the bed but they’ve left everything else white.

  “We left it like this so you could decorate with your things.” Uncle Ben nods to the bags.

  “Okay.” Peter mumbles.

  There is one decoration in the room. Next to the bed is a photo. It’s got a shiny gold square around it and is standing up tall so everyone can see it. 

  Tiptoeing, he goes over to the photo. Inside it is Dada with other people he doesn’t know. One might be Uncle Ben but he looks very little, not like Uncle Ben now. The other two he doesn’t know. A boy next to Maybe-Uncle-Ben and a girl next to Dada.

  He sits down on the bed and looks down at the photo. Uncle Ben puts the bags down and takes a seat next to Peter on the bed. 

  “Who’s that?” He points to Maybe-Uncle-Ben.

  “Me, when I was 14.” He sighs but is smiling sadly again. Peter lets him take the photo and look at it better.

  “And that?” He points to the boy next to Uncle Ben.

  “Ah, that’s my brother Richard.” Uncle Ben strokes the picture softly. 

  Peter knew about brothers. He knows that Uncle Rho Rho is Jeanie’s brother and that he’s DUM-E, Butterfingers, U and J.A.R.V.I.S’ brother, but he didn’t know Uncle Ben was a brother too. He doesn’t remember seeing a brother at Christmas…

  “Brother?” Peter whispers too quietly for Uncle Ben to hear, “And that?” He points to the next girl.

  “That is...um...well. Peter, that's your mom.” Uncle Ben hands him the photo now. For some reason he’s not looking at it anymore. Now he’s looking at Peter funny.

  “My mom…” He doesn’t really understand what a mom is. Once JARVIS told him about his Dada’s mom but Dada doesn’t like to talk about her.

  “Yeah, your mom.” Ben bites his lip and keeps watching Peter. 

  “Where is she now?” She looks like she's friends with Dada, Uncle Ben and Uncle Ben's brother. In fact, he thinks he might have even seen other pictures of her around at home. 

  “Well she’s gone.”

  “Gone...when is she coming back?” Peter tries to hand Uncle Ben the picture but he refuses. Instead Peter sets it down next to the bed again.

  “Never. She died which means she isn’t able to come back even if she wants to.” Uncle Ben says slowly. All his words have been carefully chosen. All of them are heavy with meaning that Peter doesn't quite understand yet. 

  “Never…” It’s strange that people can go forever. Where do they go? It _must_ be good if they stay there forever.

  “You okay?” Uncle Ben tilts his head to one side. 

  “Yes.” Peter nods. He's not really sure how he is but Dada always says he's okay so that's what he’ll do too. 

  “That’s good…” Uncle Ben coughs loudly and stands back up, “Do you want to unpack?” Peter waits for a few seconds before shaking his head. There’s no point unpacking. Not quite yet. 

  “It’s getting late, you must be tired.” Peter nods slowly as he looks down at the ground. All of him feels sleepy. Outside the moon and stars have come out to say goodnight. If he closed his eyes he thinks he would just fall asleep even though he's not in his jammys and doesn't have his night light. 

  “Shall we get you to bed then?” Uncle Ben goes over to the clothes bag and grabs Peter’s favourite jammys. They have a Captain America shield on them and are always warm and fluffy. Dada says they are too warm for home but it’s colder at Uncle Ben and Aunt May’s so maybe it’s okay.

  Although Uncle Ben offers to help, Peter dresses himself like he always does. Now he’s a big boy he can get dressed all by himself. He likes doing big boy thinks on his own - Uncle Rho Rho says that makes him a lot like Dada which always makes him smile. When he’s bigger he’s going to be just like Dada. 

  “Shall I tuck you in?” Uncle Ben asks quietly. When Peter nods he sits down on the edge of Peter’s new bed and wraps the covers tight around him.

  Normally he’d have a story and his night light but now he has neither of them. All the books are in the bags as well as his night light but he doesn’t want to make Uncle Ben get up and get them out.

  “Night night Peter.” He kisses Peters forehead softly. His lips are warmer than Peter remembers. Comforting. Almost feel like he’s home.

  “Night.” He pulls the covers up as high as possible so he’s fully bundled up and protected. With his fluffy pyjamas on he feels like he’s boiling alive but he keeps the covers pulled up anyway. Maybe Dada was right after all…

  As Peter hold ‘Abbit close to his face he can smell the warm smell of home and the lab. Are the bots lonely? Peter would be if he was all alone down there. Although Pepper says Uncle Rho Rho and Happy will check on them how will they know how to play with them? They never spend any time in the lab. Will they know to high five DUM-E or give U a pat on the head before bedtime? 

  No matter how hard he tries to close his eyes and sleep, he can’t. It doesn’t matter that he’s tired, without his usual comforts he’s too awake. As he sits up and looks around at all the things in the room, darkness begins to creep up on him. Dark shadows stretch out towards him. Trying to get him and take him away. Even hiding under the covers doesn’t make him feel better. 

  Outside the room there are voices. They’re very quiet but they must be Uncle Ben, Aunt May and Pepper. If Pepper’s still here he could go home. He could just get up and ask her to take him back home. To let him stay with her instead of Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Although he doesn’t want to hurt his aunt and uncle, they’d all be happier if he was back at home too.

  Keeping as quiet as possible, he tiptoes over to the door and opens it a little. Light seeps into the room through the crack. All the things that looked scary in the dark now look safe in the warm light. Unfamiliar but still safe.

  With the door open the voices sound much louder. Now he can actually hear what they’re talking about. Not wanting to disrupt them, he stays in the doorway and listens. He’ll wait until they’ve stopped talking to see if Pepper is still here.

  “Poor Peter. He’s got the worst luck.” Aunt May mumbles. 

  “That’s two - _three_ \- parents now.” Uncle Ben sighs. There’s a clink of his glass hitting the table but otherwise, just silence.

  “We don’t know for sure what happened. He might be fine.” Aunt May says hopefully. Now she doesn’t sound as sad or unsure as she did earlier. It still sounds like she’s pretending though.

  “They’re looking everywhere they can. Still no signs though.” Pepper says. So Pepper is definitely still here. She hasn’t left him quite yet. Maybe she changed her mind and will stay here with him. That wouldn’t be so bad. If Pepper was still here maybe he wouldn’t need to go home just yet. 

  “There’s no need to be so somber. That could be a good sign. Without a body there’s a chance he’s not…” Aunt May doesn’t finish her sentence. What was she going to say?

  “There’s been no ransom message of any kind. It’s like he just dropped off the face of the earth. Not even a trail to follow.” 

  “We’ll take as best care of Peter as we can until you find him. Give him a normal life. It’s what he deserves after everything he’s gone through.”

  “Let’s just hope Tony hasn’t died.”

  Died...that’s what Uncle Ben said happened to the mom lady. The one from the picture. She died and that meant she could never come back. It made her stay away forever. That can't be what happened to Dada because he would never do that to Peter. He'd promised he would be back soon so he would. 

   _But what if they're right_ …. 

  Not wanting to hear anything else, he closes the door and slips back into bed. The voices go away again and Peter is left alone. Alone in the dark. 

  They're wrong. 

  They're all wrong. 

  Wrong.

  Dada didn't die.

  He’ll come back soon and they'll go to the lab together and play. 

  He will.

  He always does. 

  Everytime. 

  He wants to get up and tell them they're wrong. To prove they're all liars. Pretending Dada isn't coming home.

  But he doesn’t. 

  He stays in bed like a good boy. Hides under the covers where the dark shadows can't grab him and take him away while he sleeps. Because maybe, if he's very good, Dada will change his mind and stop being dead.

 

~~~

 

  It's dark when Tony wakes up. For a second he thinks he's back at home but that can't be right. It's too dark. Too smelly.

  There's an underlying smell of decay, urine and oil permeating through everything. Never ending. No matter how hard he tries to, he can't escape from the stench.

  As bad as the smell is, it's nothing compared to the pain. Stinging, tearing pain rippling through his chest. Everytime he takes a breath the pain spreads out even further. Infecting even more.

  His lungs burn with every breath. He's breathing but it doesn't feel like he is. No matter how much he breathes, he's still out of breath. Constantly suffocating. 

  Searching for some relief, he turns his head to the side. He's definitely not at home. Not even in a hospital, despite the IV attached to him. All the walls and even the ceiling are made of a light brown rock. There's a thin layer of dirt scattered across the floor which just add to the dank grime of the place. Loose dirt particles in the air aren’t helping his breathing in any way. 

  Wanting - _needing_ \- to get out, he desperately starts tearing at the IV coming out of his nose. If he can just get out of here he can figure out what to do next. Find a way to get back home. Back to Peter. Always back to Peter. 

  With the tube out of him he's free to move around further. Cautiously, still numb and dazed, he turns over and looks over at the bedside table.

  There's a rusty metal cup right beside his head. Even though it looks like it will probably be a reservoir of diseases, his parched throat doesn't care. Every rasping breath is tearing him apart. 

  With his arm free he tries to reach over and grasp the cup to check what's inside it. Pathetically, his arm flails around in search of it. Instead of grabbing a hold of it like he'd means to he just knocks into it which sends the cup tumbling down to the ground. 

  In one last desperate attempt he tries to wriggle further out of the bed. Perhaps if there was one cup of water there might be more. It's unlikely but at this point he doesn’t care. 

  However something goes taut as he moves. Trapping him in the bed. There are no binds on any of his limbs but he can't move any further. 

  “I don't think you want to do that.” A stranger's voice echoes through the cavern.

  There had been no indication he had company when he'd looked around a few seconds ago. The other person must’ve been completely silent. Watching Tony. The thought sends a shiver down his spine. For someone that stands proudly in the spotlight, the thought of another person watching him is unsettling. 

  Now he can just about make out the other man. He's stood off to the side, shaving in a grimy sink. There's a mirror in front of him but it's hard to make anything out in it, let alone a persons face. 

  Trying to figure out what's holding him on the bed, he rolls onto his back again. There's a rusty old car battery propped up on the opposite side of the bed. A series of wires protrude from it, winding down towards Tony. Struggling for breath, he follows the wires path down to his chest.

  For the first time he realises he's not in his own clothes anymore. Someone has changed him into itchy rags at some point while he was unconscious. What he had thought was a filthy white shirt is actually white bandages that have been tightly wound around his chest, obscuring the skin. The wires from the battery extend all the way to the bandages and slink underneath the stained fabric. 

  His fingers shake as he reaches down to feel his chest. As he runs his fingers along the fabric he feels something hard and cold - a stark contrast to the rest of his skin. Somehow the cold emanating from it is tangible through the layers of bandage Tony is currently tearing through. 

  The other man doesn't try to stop him as he peels away the last layers and looks at himself for the first time. He wishes he did. Wishes with all of his heart - or whatever is left of it. 

  His breath catches as his warm sweaty fingers run across the now bare skin of his chest. Shivers rub down his spine sending chills creeping through him. It's like those fingers are still reaching inside him. Prodding and poking the organs inside him. Invading.

  Where there used to be skin there is now a huge metal disk. Wires are attached to it but they look bloody and rusty up close. It’s not particularly advanced electronics but that’s not particularly surprising as they seem to currently be in a cave. That disk must be what he can feel in his chest. The foreign object that still cutting into him. Crushing his organs. 

  Dried blood is splattered across the skin, mixing with the layers of grime. It’s clear that, with the exception of the device now lodged in his chest, there’s nothing sealing the gaping hole in his chest. All of the dirt, grime and bacteria is currently slipping into his bloodstream. It’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t get infected or something.

  Panting he sits up in the bed, grabbing a hold of the metal. It’s sharp and cold under his skin. Ominously lurking at the edge of his consciousness. He’s forced to quickly tear his hand away as if he’s been burnt but the surface is still very cool. 

  “Hey, you might want to slow down.” The other man across the room sets down his razor and hurriedly jogs over to Tony’s side. He bends down to Tony’s level and gently holds onto his shaking arm. Providing Tony with support as he attempts to stay upright.

  “W….wha...what…” He croaks, trying to force the words out of his throat. Every word is abrasive and laboured. It’s like his windpipe is lined with sandpaper. A lump has risen up his throat, restricting his breathing even more than it was before.

  “You shouldn’t speak - not yet.” The man pats his back reassuringly and reaches down to grab the cup Tony had knocked over, “You’ve been unconscious for a week - you’ll need some time to recover.” Tony doesn’t want to, but he knows the other man is right. He’s pathetically weak and vulnerable right now. Fuck, he can’t even breath properly. 

  Carefully, the other man lowers Tony back down onto the bed. He doesn’t protest, letting himself rest once again. The sooner he gets his strength back, the sooner he can get the fuck out of here and back to Peter. To Pepper. To all of them.

  Once Tony is back down on the bed, the man leaves with the metal cup. He takes it back over to where he had been shaving before and fills it up with water from the tap. Even from here it looks manky and gross but he can’t even whisper so there’s no way of protesting. 

  “I’m sure you’re used to better quality water but I’m afraid here, this is the best we have. It's not pleasant - it’s not even safe - but you'll have to make do.” The man smiles apologetically as he brings the cup up to Tony’s mouth.

  For a second he considers fighting back, headbutting the man or something, but he quickly dismisses that thought. If there’s one thing he always is, it’s a survivor. Even when  everyone else leaves or falls he’s left standing. He will get through this and come out stronger - if that requires him to drink the manky water then that’s what he’ll do. Before he left he made a promise to Peter and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t do his best to keep it. 

  The water trickles slowly over his dry, cracked lips into his mouth. He’d been expecting it to be cold but it’s just as warm as everything else - somehow it’s still refreshing though. It tastes much more metallic than any water he’s had before but it's hard to tell whether that’s due to the cup, the water itself, the blood in his mouth or a combination of all three.

  Before he knows it, he’s drained the entire cup and is still gasping for more. Now he’s actually had a drink he can feel just how cracked and dried his lips are. Any moisture in them has been completely drained. At this point there’s not even any saliva in his mouth.

  He goes through another cup of water before the man finally sets the cup down. He’s still craving water but he’s smart enough to know having any more right now might be more detrimental than helpful.

  “I’ll put some food on. Something with a lot of liquid.” 

  While he cooks some kind of stew or soup over an open fire, Tony attempts to sit up again. Blood rushes in his head making him lightheaded but he manages to keep himself upright without any support.

  From this angle he can see a sliver of mirror resting next to the now empty metal cup. Keeping one eye on the man cooking, he reaches forward and grabs a hold of it. The edge cuts into his hand, almost drawing blood but he keeps on holding it. It's lucky his hands are so calloused. 

  For the first time he can see himself. A pale imitation of the man he once was. His normally tanned skin looks pale and haughty in the dim light of the cavern. The only colour in his face is the muddy - or maybe bloody - residue that is splattered across the skin. Dark bags line his sunken face, only highlighting his sickliness. 

  Not wanting to look at his face any longer, he angles the mirror down to look at the thing now residing in his chest. It doesn’t look like his own reflection in the mirror. Somehow it looks worse from the mirror than it did while he was looking at it in bed. 

  “What the hell did you do to me?” He croaks pathetically. Although he hates how weak and vulnerable he sounds, he's not strong enough to steady his voice. 

  “What I did? What I did is to save your life.” The other man chuckles but more to break the tension than out of any actual humour. Not even Tony can find something humorous about the thing now lodged within him, “I removed all the shrapnel I could but there’s a lot left and it’s headed into your atrial scepter.” _Very not good_.

  He knows enough about his own weapons to know what that means. None of his weapons have ever been built to be merciful. Not to brag but his weapons do exactly what they say on the tin. They’re deterrents without mercy or kindness. If the bombs blasts don’t kill you then the resulting shrapnel certainly will. 

  He’d designed and shipped off thousands of these but he’d never thought he would get to see just what they’re capable of from up close. About as close as you can get without dying - at least that’s what he hopes. 

  “Here, wanna see? Take a look.”

  The man sets the cooking pan down and walks over to fetch a small glass vial from the side. Instead of getting close, he throws the vial over to Tony and returns to his cooking. Although his movements are lagging, he manages to catch the vial and turn it over in his hands. 

  It’s grimy just like everything else here. Most of the glass is translucent, if not opaque. He has to hold it up to the light to see anything inside. As he turns the bottle he can see the small metal shards inside rattle about. Shards that had once been inside him. Ones just like the ones that are currently slowly killing him. They look much smaller than he’d imagined. It’s now clear why the man struggled to remove them from his bloodstream.

  “I’ve seen many wounds like that in my village. We call them the walking dead because it takes about a week for the barbs to reach the vital organs.” He takes on a somber tone. If he didn’t know any better he would say it was an accusation. 

  His village...that can’t be right…. Although Tony sells weapons he only sells them to the American military. These bombs are only to be deployed against foregin troops, not against villages. Villages are where innocent children live. Kids like Peter. It can’t be right. And yet he himself had experienced his bombs being used _against_ the military and himself. None of it adds up. 

  “What is this?” Tony quickly changes the conversation onto the device inside him, not wanting to think about the implications of those accusations any more. He already feels like he’s been hit by a train - he’d rather not make things even worse.

  “That is electromagnet, hooked up to car battery, and it’s keeping the shrapnel from entering your heart.” He hums almost proudly. He should be proud. It’s ingenious really. Sure, it won’t keep him alive forever but it is undoubtedly delaying the process. The only thing keeping him alive right now. A simple solution but, considering the situation, it’s very effective.

  Just thinking about the electromagnet sends a shiver up his spine. Not wanting to look anymore, he zips up the jumper they have given him. It might be unbearably hot with the jumper zipped up but he’d rather be hot than have to keep looking at the device. 

  Searching for something else to occupy his mind while he waits for the food, he starts to analyse his surroundings. 

  They’re definitely in a cave - if he hadn’t known before, the rocky walls now give it away. It’s not quite as primitive as he’d first assumed though. Although the water was of the worst quality and the cup was made from rusty metal, there’s actually a surprising amount of tech about. He is immediately drawn to the large security cameras set up all around the room. Watching him.  

  “That’s right. Smile.” The man mutters when he notices Tony staring up at the cameras. It had been bad enough when he thought it was just the other man watching him in the room - now there’s god knows how many people out there staring at him through cameras.

  “We met once, you know, at a technical conference in Bern.”

  “I don’t remember.”

  “You wouldn’t. If I had been that drunk I wouldn’t have been able to stand, much less give a lecture on integrated circuits.”

  “Where are we.” He interrupts. As fun as it is to relive the old days, right now he just wants to get out. The more he learns about this place, the better the odds that he makes it out of here alive. 

  Unfortunately, before he can get an answer there’s a knock on the metal doors. Someone starts shouting out orders to them in a foregin language he doesn’t recognise. After all the conferences and events he’s gone to around the world he’s gotten pretty good at identifying languages but this is one he’s never heard before. Probably something middle eastern considering where they are at the moment. 

  “Stand up. Stand up.” The man hisses. He drops his wooden ladle into the soup or stew and quickly moves over to Tony. His arm grabs onto Tony’s, yanking him into a standing position. His legs wobble weakly underneath him but, thankfully, don't give way. For once he manages to stay standing.

  “Do as I do.” The man hisses into Tony’s ear, “Come on, put your hands up.” Sensing the urgency, he quickly raises his hands above him head like the other man. It’s just about in time as three men in military gear come sauntering into the room at that very second. 

  All three men are dressed in light brown jackets that resemble military camouflage and have guns that look way too familiar.

  “Those are my guns. How did they get my guns?” Up until this point he’d still been half hoping he’d imagined the Stark Industries logo on the side of the bomb that had hit him. There’s no denying that those are SI guns though. 

  “Do you understand me? Do as I do.” The man insists again, more desperate this time. 

  The only one of the men not holding a gun raises his arms and grins broadly. He’s saying something in another language but Tony has no idea what. This guy doesn’t expect him to actually understand him does he? He just keeps getting closer, the guys with guns following close behind him. Once he’s finished speaking he turns to the man next to Tony expectantly.

  “He says: welcome Tony Stark, the most famous mass murderer in the history of America.” It’s way too short to be the full translation but Tony doesn’t push him.

  “He’s honoured.” The man translates the next words just after they’re said. 

  “He wants you to build the Jericho. The Jericho missile you demonstrated.” Although he’s not surprised at the demand, his blood turns to ice. Why of all things did it have to be the Jericho? Why couldn’t they have been like everyone else and just demanded money? If it had been money he might actually have considered it.

  The leader hands the man a piece of paper. An image of the Jericho.

  “This one.”

  All of them sit in silence for a second, waiting for Tony’s response. Do they really think he’s going to just make them the Jericho? These are terrorists. There’s not even a question. 

  “I refuse.” He spits. With the exception of his lips which are snarling, he stays completely calm. A blank slate. These men don’t even deserve his anger. 

  As expected they all start furiously shouting at one another, grabbing a hold of Tony and tying his arms behind his back. One of them grabs the car battery and carries it beside Tony so the wires don’t go taut. With Tony in his weakened state he doesn’t argue as they take him over to a large barrel of water in the corner of the room.

  The other man tries to argue with them but they just knock him aside until he collapses on the floor. He still looks like he wants to intervene but sticks to the edge of the group so he fades into the shadows. 

  Tony’s knees buckle as they shove him roughly to the floor. As his knees slam against the stone floor pain is sent all the way up his legs. It’s a good thing he’s on his knees because there’s no way they’d be able to support him anymore.

  One man grabs a hold of Tony’s hair, tugging it so hard it rips out of his scalp. Another two grab onto each of his shoulders and dunk him under the water. Water rushes up his nose as he tries to squirm out of their grasp to get back to the surface. It’s already hard enough to breath above water, let alone under it. It only takes a few seconds for his lungs to start burning from the deprivation. 

  Just before he passes out they yank him back up to the air. His mouth instantly opens, taking deep heaving breaths of air as quickly as possible. Water dribbles down his face into his mouth but he doesn’t care that all he can taste is metal and musty air.

  Not giving him time to prepare, they shove him under again. This time his mouth is still open so water rushes into his mouth as he gasps for air under the water. He can feel it in his mouth but he can’t stop his body from desperately searching for oxygen as it starts breathing water in instead. 

  He’s not sure how many times they dunk him. It could be five, it could be seven. Maybe even more. All he knows is the taste of the water and the darkness. The endless nothing that surrounds him as the blackness creeps over his vision. 

  The sounds of rushing water are only punctuated by the increasingly agitated yells of the foregin men but even those are slowly drowned out. 

  As the warm blackness of unconsciousness starts creeping up on him he begins hearing things. Peppers voice shouting out his name. Tying him down to life. Peter’s giggles as he runs around the lab with the bots. Mary’s laugh as she plays with Peter. Maria’s voice singing the last song she sang. Music slowly overpowering even the sound of the water pounding against his ears. 

  He’s actually disappointed when they finally pull him out of the water and shove a bag over his head. Of course he knows it wasn’t really them he was hearing, but it felt so real. For a second he didn’t feel alone. He had the people he loved there with him. He could’ve given up the fight and joined Maria and Mary.

  But he could never leave Peter. 

  Not after everything.

  He’s soon distracted by his thoughts as they tear the bag off of his head, revealing the outside of the cave he’d been in before. Sunlight blinds him, overpowering the rest of the world. Although one hand is clutching the car battery they’d handed him, the other hand is trying and failing to block the sunlight from his eyes. 

  When his vision finally clears he’s left staring at what can only be described as a military base. In all his life he’s never been to a base like this one though. It’s a far cry from the American ones he’s visited during the course of his life. There are so many more weapons than he even thought was possible. Every kind all crammed into one small area nestled between the mountains. And all of them made by SI. 

  “He wants to know what you think.” Tony hadn’t even heard the leader speak until the man translates for him.

  “I think you’ve got a lot of my weapons.” He snarls, trying to stay calm and collected despite the pounding in his head.

  “He says they have everything you need to build the Jericho missile. He wants you to make a list of materials.” There’s a pause while the leader speaks, “He says for you to start working immediately and when you’re done he will set you free.” 

  The leaders hand is outstretched like an olive branch, waiting to strike a deal. So Tony does what he does best. He plasters on his best smile - the same one he flashes at all the beady board directors - and he takes his hand.

  “No he won’t.” Tony mutters as he shakes the leaders sticky, warm hand. 

  “No he wont.”

  Neither of their smiles reach their eyes.

 

  Him and the other man sit together in front of the fire once the men finally leave them alone. Despite the warmth of the fire and the hat they’ve given him, he’s shaking. No matter how hard he tries to stop the shivering he can’t. It’s like it’s been drilled into his very bones. 

  “I’m sure they’re looking for you Stark. They will never find you in these mountains.”

  “Look, what you just saw, that is your legacy, Stark. Your life’s work in the hands of those murderers. Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? Or are you going to do something about it?” The man says harshly, hoping for some kind of rebellion but Tony’s eyes are already dead. For the first time he can’t think of a way out. Of a way to keep his promise to Peter.

  Would Peter be better off if he didn’t keep his promise? He’d thought his work at SI was the thing he was doing right. His way of making the world better. Look what he’s actually made though. Weapons that are now being used on innocent villages and people.

  “Why should I do anything? They’re going to kill me, you, either way - and if they don’t I’ll probably be dead in a week.” He mumble’s hopelessly. This is the end of the line.

  “Well then, this is a very important week for you, isn’t it.”

  Despite how hopeless things feel, he can still hear the voice at the back of his head. The one that never seems to really go away. The one that, right now, is asking: _does it have to be_?

 

  He starts hastily listing off all the materials he needs for his plan. It’s only while he’s listing them that the plan starts to come together. Improvising everything as he goes. It’s a damn risky plan - something neither him nor Howard ever cracked even with their fortune and resources. Something so dumb and impossible it might just work. 

  Over the next day or so he starts pulling apart all his previous weapons, salvaging them for palladium. He can’t get this wrong and he works like it. Right now he’s more desperate and focused than he’s ever been before.

  The other man, who he discovers to be called Yinsen, is surprisingly helpful. He might not be an engineer but his surgeon skills are oddly well suited. Steady hands and precision are both skills that overlap both areas and are crucial for this specific device.

  All the work culminates over the next two days in a small device that’s hardly larger than the base of a pint glass. An arc reactor miniaturised so it’s small enough to fit into his chest. It shimmers blue from the work desk in front of him, more radiant than it’s larger counterpart. A beacon of blue-white light filling the room.

  It’s funny, decades of research and work with tens of scientists worked on this without any success and here he is now in a cave with only one man to help him and old weapons to salvage. They’d always said they must be missing something - apparently that something is sufficient motivation because within two days in this godforsaken place he’s actually done it. 

  Of course that’s only step one. You don’t make a device that can produce three gigajoules of energy every second just to keep your heart pumping. No, he’s thinking big. Bigger than he’s ever thought before. 

  When he finally shows the plans to Yinsen he’s not sure if he’s making the right call. Over the last few days the man has given invaluable help with the project but so many things could go wrong if he tells him. However so many things could also go wrong without his help.

  In the end, the thing that pushes his decision is the fact that he actually likes the guy. It’s strange, normally he would be the kind of guy that Tony overlooks on his way to bigger things but sitting next to him in the cave makes for some of the better conversations than he’s had in years with anyone outside his own residence.

  Time goes so quickly he can’t tell how long they’ve even been here now. A month? More? All the building and working keeps him on his toes at all times so the only times he actually gets to relax is when him and Yinsen are left alone together to play stupid traditional board games.

  “You still haven’t told me where you’re from.” Tony muses as they’re in the middle of playing backgammon.

  “I’m from a small town called Gulmira. It’s actually a nice place.” He mumbles longingly. 

  “Got a family.” He seems like the type. Much more fatherly than Tony or Howard.

  “Yes, and I will see them when I leave here. And you Stark?”

  His instant reaction is to say no. If you’d asked him four years ago that would’ve been the answer he gave but it’s not actually true anymore...is it? His own auditory hallucinations while he was drowning prove it, if Peter wasn’t enough proof as it is.

  “I do.”

  “Girlfriend?” He asks curiously, clearly taken by surprise.

  “Nothing like that, no.” It’s funny, despite the number of women he’s slept with he’s never actually had a girlfriend. Not even for a day. Everyone else his age has except him. It’s never really bothered him before but now his mind goes back to Pepper. It’s been doing that a lot since he woke up here…

  “Children?” Yinsen cocks his head to the side, scrutinising Tony.

  “One. A son.” He mumbles after a pause. He’s never told anyone about Peter before. Even when they were in the process of telling friends he never told anyone. Mary and Happy did all of that for him. It’s strange to actually be talking to someone about Peter for a change.

  “How old?”

  “He’ll be a little over three and a half now.” 

  “I’m sure you’re looking forward to seeing him again when you get out of here.” Yinsen smiles sadly. Does he have his own son waiting? Or perhaps a daughter? How long has he been separated from them? 

  “I promised him I’d come back soon when I left and I intend to keep that promise.”

  “Then we better get working.”

  It not only Peter that they’re keeping impatiently waiting, the members of the ten rings who are holding them are also getting antsy. Although they wait patiently for another month or so, it’s not long before they are busting down the cave’s door, demanding entry.

  A new man comes in this time and Tony instantly realises he’d been wrong when he thought of the last guy as the leader. There is no doubt that this man is holding the cards. He has the same predatorial glare of Obie and the other ambitious leaders he’s had the misfortune of knowing. The same holier than thou, god complex. 

  At this point he’s familiar with the drill when these guys show up and quickly drops all of his equipment and places both hands behind his head. Yinsen does the same as they both watch the new man warily. 

  “Relax.” He mumbles in english, not needing Yinsen as the middleman like the last guy. You could be fooled into thinking this man actually lived in the states. Perhaps he did, once upon a time. 

  Tony has to fight back the need to back away as the man starts creeping closer. His hand reaches out to touch the arc reactor that is glowing underneath his shirt. Even though he only touches it through his shirt it sends a shiver through him. It’s like being back on the operating table again, peoples hands reaching over and clawing at him while he can do nothing to defend himself. 

  Thankfully the man finally drops his hand from Tony’s chest. As soon as he removes it Tony takes a deep breath in but doesn’t dare to relax his guard. Not until the man leaves the room entirely.

  “The bow and arrow was once the pinnacle of weapons technology. It allowed the Great Genghis Khan to rule from the pacific to the Ukraine. An empire twice the size of Alexander the Great and four times the size of the Roman Empire.” He wanders around the room as he speaks, examining everything curiously. Tony has to hold his breath again as the man reaches over and grabs the designs for Tony’s actual project. The thing that will get them both out of here. Although he wrote each section of the design on different pieces of paper that overlap to make one blueprint, he can’t help but fear the man is going to realise what they’re doing. If he does they’re both dead. 

  “But today, whoever hold the lastest Stark weapons rules these lands.” He finally lets go of the blueprints and turns to face Tony, “And soon - it will be my turn.”

  Once again, he walks straight over to Tony. This time he stops before he can touch Tony but he’s still too close. Close enough that Tony can smell the sweat coming off of his skin. The smell of gunpowder from his fingers. He can even see the slight splatters of blood on his cheek that are practically invisible from a distance.

  Although he’s still staring straight at Tony, he starts speaking some other language - addressing Yinsen this time. After a few seconds he finally backs away from Tony and rounds on Yinsen now.

  Whatever he’s saying can’t be good because Yinsen is completely tensed up. It only when two men grab a hold of Yinsen and force him to his knees does Tony realise just how bad it is.

 _They’re going to kill him_. 

  The leader grabs a pair of forceps and uses them to pick up a smoldering coal from the fire. They push Yinsens head onto the table, tilted to one side so his face is facing the leader. 

  “What does he want?” Tony takes a step forward. He can’t just stand here and let them kill Yinsen. Not when they’re so close. The new design is so close to being finished now. They’re just days away.

  The leader keeps asking the same question to which Yinsen gives the same answer. The only word he can make out from Yinsen’s answer is the word Jericho which doesn’t exactly bode well. It’s clearly not the answer he’s looking for as the smouldering coal gets closer to Yinsen’s mouth every time he gives the answer.

  “What does he want? A delivery date?” Tony take a few steps forward this time. He must get too close to their leader because all at once everyone starts training their guns on him instead. He raises one hand in surrender but doesn’t take a step back. Now all attention is on him.

  He pauses for a second. There’s only one shot at saving Yinsen, he needs to choose the right words or this all goes sideways and they’re both killed. 

  “I need him. He’s a good assistant.” If they want this missile as bad as they seem to then hopefully they’ll keep him alive long enough for Tony and Yinsen to finish their project.

  Tony almost sighs in relief as the coal drops down centimeters from Yinsens face, sparking. _That was too close_.

  “You have till tomorrow to assemble my missile.”

  While before they’d been taking their time and making sure everything was perfect, there’s no time for that now. It just needs to be functional enough to get them out of the camp. I won’t be easy but he’s Tony Stark. He’ll figure it out.

  They work tirelessly through the night, no resting or taking any breaks. As the sun begins to rise he sends Yinsen over to door to start rigging the bomb. It’ll be hooked up to blow away anyone who tries to open the door - buying them a few minutes tops. Doesn’t sound like much but it’s better than nothing. In a plan like this a few seconds can make all the difference.

  As the day draws on he starts getting into position. Their creation, a huge metal suit of armour, is hidden from view of the cameras by putting it in one of the blind spots.

  When they’ve got all the pieces together in the spot Tony stands with his back to the little makeshift wall. Yisen is stood opposite him, attaching the suit to Tony. It's more fiddly and convoluted than they’d imagined but they’re on schedule. Now they just need to hope that no one comes knocking.

  Of course their luck never lasts long. Before they know it there’s shouting at the door. These people don’t seem physically able to speak quietly or even normally.

  For his spot behind the wall he can’t see what’s going on, his view completely constricted. Without the suit online it’s impossible to even move, even if he did want to move and look. 

  “Say something.” He mutters quietly, hoping no one but Yinsen can hear.

  “I don’t...He’s...He’s speaking Hungarian.” Yinsen stammers.

  “Then speak Hungarian. What do you know?”

  Yinsen starts saying something in Hungarian but it’s not good enough. Neither of the guards are even slightly satisfied and begin opening the door.

  Just as planned the door completely blows up taking both men and the camera’s with it. ‘Just as planned’ isn’t quite true since they’d planned to already have the suit up and running at this point but when do things ever go to plan. Considering everything that could’ve gone wrong, he considers this a success. 

  “Initialise the power sequence.” Tony snaps to Yinsen who’s still fiddling with the suit. First and foremost they need to get the power up and running or the entire plan goes to shit. Other stuff can be done while the sequence initialises. 

  “Okay. Tell me, tell me.” Yinsen is behind the computer waiting for Tony’s instructions.”

  “Function eleven, tell me when you see a progress bar. It should be there right now.”

  “Yes!”

  “Press control i then enter.” 

  “Got it.”

  “Come over here and button me up.” Yinsens fingers fumble as he gets to work, “Every other hex bolt. Nothing pretty just get it done.”

  “They’re coming.” Yinsen exclaims as he finishes up the suit.

  Sure enough there are yells and running footsteps echoing through the cave system. The progress bar on the computer is still only 50% full, nowhere near being ready by the time they show up. 

  “Make sure the check points are clear before following me out, okay?” Tony attempts to keep to their plan. He’s never been the optimistic type but right now a little hope won’t do any harm. If they can just get the system to finish booting up they’ll be able to do it.

  “We need more time.” A new found determination fills Yinsens face, “I’m going to go buy you some time.” Yinsen slowly approaches Tony. 

  “Stick to the plan. Stick to the plan!” He tries to yell but the other man doesn’t seem to even hear him. He’s run past Tony now and is grabbing a gun from one of the guards they blew up. Even more idiotically he’s shooting the gun up into the air like a mad man, the gun shots echoing in the cavern.

  Being trapped in the suit there’s nothing he can do but watch the progress bar go up. When the gunshots start he’s forced to stay in position. Waiting. A sitting duck. He refuses to let himself think about the implications of the shots. Right now, all he can focus on is getting the suit up and running.

  As the bar creeps closer and closer to the top the lights begin to go out. A strong vibration ripples through the ground making the table rattle and shake.

  New power ripples through Tony and the suit. He can feel the arc reactor inside him churning away, trying to power the suit and all its destructive capabilities. Cautiously, he curls up his fist, looking down at the suit in the dark.

  These people are going to regret the day they messed with him.

  At that moment three guards crash into the dark room. They hesitate for a second before shooting randomly into the room. The flash from their guns are the only things lighting up the darkened room. 

  Tony braces himself in the suit as the bullets start coming straight towards him. Thankfully, just as he’d planned, the bullets ricochet off of the metal suit harmlessly, leaving him unscathed underneath. 

  As soon as the shooting has stopped, he moves forward and slams his metal fist straight into the nearest guy’s face. He flies back into the wall at the same time as Tony’s fist moves around to slam the next guy back too. Both of them immediately fall unconscious and become nothing more than heaps on the floor. 

  The final guy raises his guy and tries a second time to pierce the metal armour to no avail. As Tony gets closer he begins firing more and more bullets to the same effect. In the end all the bullets do absolutely nothing to stop Tony from slamming his fist into the mans face - adding another person to the pile of unconscious soldiers in the cavern. 

  Not giving him any time to bask in his new found power, a group of men from further down the corridor begin shooting. Even when they see the bullets ricocheting off harmlessly they don’t stop. None of them even try to run which only makes his job easier. 

  Each one is just as easy to take down as the last, all falling pathetically as Tony approaches. A few are smart enough to run away but that won’t save them. Now he’s got this new power there’s going to be no stopping him. These people took him from his family for months, there’s no way he’s letting them get away with all of this.

  He’s only snapped out of his rampage as he walks into the clearing by the edge of the caves. Although the leader of the group is standing right ahead of him, his attention is drawn to the sandbags that are bundled on one side of the room. A familiar figure is lying backwards against them, blood trickling over the once white plastic surfaces of the bags.

  “Yinsen!” For a second he thinks the man is dead until he lifts his head to look at Tony. 

  “Watch out!” He yells out just as the leader fires a grenade launcher right at Tony. 

  While the suit is bullet proof he’s not very keen on finding out what damage grenades can do. Just in time he steps backwards so the grenade slams into the rocky wall beside him. Rocks a debris explode around him, obscuring his view, but he’s fine.

  Not wanting to give the man a chance to reload he opens the flap on his arm and primes one of the missiles. As quickly as he can he pulls the ripcord and sends the missile straight into the man. It just about misses, hitting the wall directly behind him instead. All the falling rocks end up doing the same job as the missile, collapsing on the leader and burying him under  foot of sharp rocks. 

  With the threat dealt with Tony rushes over to Yinsens side. There’s five or six bullet holes torn through his abdomen but he’s not dead yet. If they can just get out of here they can find a doctor who can save him. Someone with some actual useful skills as opposed to Tony. 

  For the first time he lifts up the face plate so he can talk to his friend. 

  “Come on, we’ve got to go. Move for me. Come on. We got a plan, we’re gonna stick to it.” Tony mutters desperately. Part of him thinks that if he stops talking the other man is going to fade away. It’s as if his words are the only thing keeping Yinsen a float right now. Even if he knows that’s not true he can’t stop the words flooding out.

  “This was always the plan, Stark.”

  Although he hears Yinsen’s words he ignores them completely because that can’t be right. They didn’t go through all this to lose at this moment. Sure Tony would be alive but if Yinsen is dead then how have they won?

  Out there somewhere is the family Yinsen talked about. People waiting for him to come home. People just like Peter and Pepper and Happy and Rhodey. A family that don’t deserve to lose him. He can’t just become another person on the list of the dead.

  “Come on, you’ve got to go see your family. Get up.”

  “My family is dead. I’m going to see them now, Stark.” Are they amongst the list of the villagers he said were killed by SI weapons? Did Tony kill them?

  Something must change in his face because Yinsen quickly adds, “It’s okay. I want this. I want this.” The relief in his face is undeniable. He really does want this and that only crushes Tony’s heart even more.

  Tears begin pricking his eyes. This isn’t what he’d imagined. Not in the slightest. He’d been dumb enough to trick himself into thinking they’d actually make it out of this fucking shit hole. That he’d actually be able to introduce his friend to Peter. That he’d be able to pay the man back. He’d be able to make up for all the shit his weapons have done. 

  Now all he can do is force himself to smile and crush down the pain.

  “Thank you for saving me.” Tony whispers as quietly as possible. It’s pathetic and doesn’t begin to cover everything Yinsen has done for him but it’s straight from the heart.

  “Don’t waste it. Don’t waste your life.” Yinsen breathes out quietly. The last breaths of air leaving his lungs. Leaving Tony alone again. 

  Although he doesn’t say anything he swears he won’t waste a single second. Not one. If this is the way he pays back Yinsen and all the people who have suffered because of him then he’ll do it. Things are going to start changing.

  The rest of the fighting all goes by in a numb blur. At one point he thinks he sets fire to the camp full of weapons but he can’t be sure. His mind is still back in the cave with Yinsens body. Still trapped. Although his body is escaping there’s a part of him that’s never going to leave.

  He angles his arms down and turns his thrusters up to their maximum. Despite the heaviness of the suit he actually starts rising. Moving up towards the sun and the clouds, leaving the world behind him.

  Fire rages down beneath him, explosions aiding his rising as all the weapons go off at once in the blaze. 

  Then he's falling. 

  Air rushing by. 

  The land coming up to greet him. 

  He points his hands towards the ground to try and propel himself up again but they just splutter and fail. 

  Fuck. 

  Fuck fuck fuck. 

  Okay, maybe this plan wasn't as fool proof as he thought. 

  He escaped the caves only to fall to his death here. 

  It's so high that when he lands he's surprised he’s alive, let alone in one piece. He thinks his arm might be broken but with all the adrenaline it’s hard to be sure. Everything aches and burns but at this moment that doesn’t even matter. 

  All of the armour has fallen to pieces. Small metal chunks scattered around the desert, half buried under the sand. The only thing that has really stayed intact is the faceplate that is still attached to his head. 

  Sighing and leaning back, he pulls the faceplate off. Sand covers him, burning his exposed skin but he just lays there.

  He did it.

  He did it.

  He’s actually gotten out.

  Now he just needs to get back home. How hard can that be?

  It turns out, very hard. When they’d been planning their escape they’d never gotten past this point. Never figured out what they’d do once they’d escaped. It had felt like a far off dream. Not something they actually needed to plan for. 

  With his coat over his head he stumbles through the sandy dunes aimlessly. As far as the eye can see there is nothing but sand and sand and sand. The sun reflects off of the sand getting stronger and stronger.

  Just like when he first woke up, his throat is scratchy and coarse. There’s not a drop of moisture left anymore. Just the dry nothingness.

  Despite how pointless the stumbling is, he keeps going. If he stops and lets the tiredness overwhelm him he’s scared of what will happen. Scared that he might not wake up. Scared that he’ll never get home.

  So he keeps on stumbling.

  Every time he falls down he pushes back up. Every time he feels his legs give way he forces himself to go one step further. One step. Then another. Then another. Forward. Forward. Forward. Never looking back at the destruction he’s left behind him. 

  When he first hears the helicopter blades he thinks he’s hallucinating. Tricking his mind into hoping for help that isn’t coming. It’s only when he sees it soaring above his head and feels the cold wind from the propellers that he realises this is real. Actually really real. 

  He feels like just crying at the sight of it. Crying or screaming. Or both. Instead he chuckles and waves his arms like a mad man. Although they’ve probably already seen him he can’t take the chance that they haven’t. Can’t afford to risk them not seeing him and flying off. When the helicopter turns around and begins moving closer and closer to the ground he collapses. His legs finally giving way after the long harsh journey. 

  He’s never been happier to see Rhodey in his life.

  He sleeps through most of the journey most of the in the helicopter. Doctors rush around him, checking him for any injuries. In the enclosed space there’s not much they can do but they get the initial tests done. 

  Despite Tony’s protests, they stop off at an army camp before heading off to America. If he’d had his way they’d have gone straight home but apparently that’s not how they do things. He’s ‘too injured’ to go straight home without any assistance. He fights them the whole way but they manage to get his burns treated and give him a sling for his arm.

  As much he doesn’t want to admit it, it feels good to be back in decent clothing. Clothes that actually feel nice and don’t smell like smoke and damp. Even though he still looks like shit it’s definitely an improvement from before. In his suit he feels more like himself.

  As soon as they’ve finished cleaning him up he puts himself on a plane. Everyone tries to force him back into the hospital but eventually they give up. Rhodey tries his best to fight Tony’s stubbornness but eventually compromises by putting himself on the plane right by Tony’s side. 

  Neither of them discuss what happened during the flight, steering well clear of the topic. Although he wants to ask about Peter he’s too scared. What if Peter hates him? What if he doesn’t trust Tony any more? Even worse, what if Peter forgot about him completely? What if he doesn’t care enough to be angry?

  Instead they talk about mundane things. Talk about the football. About the recent deals the military have been doing. About the state of affairs. Boring mundane things Tony never used to talk about but now can’t get enough of. Even if the rest of his life is filled with nothing but mundane boring things he wouldn’t care because he would be home.

  They spend the entire flight chatting mindlessly right up until the plane arrives in US airspace. Just the thought of seeing people again renders him speechless. Instead RHodey fills up the silence, letting Tony just listen for a change. It’s...nice - or it would be if there wasn’t a pit of dread eating away at him. 

  “You ready?” Rhodey asks as they both step up to the ramp.  

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  The ramp slowly lowers to reveal the world beyond him. There are cars surrounding the area in an attempt to guard Tony as he steps onto US soil for the first time in three months. 

  But he doesn’t care about any of them. The only people he cares about in the entire area is the curly brown haired man and ginger woman stood right at the front of the ramp. 

  Both of them are nothing like he remembers. Peppers eyes are bloodshot as she bites her lower lip. For the first time she’s anxiously twitching, unable to keep still for the life of her - while Happy is stock still like a statue. Somehow they’ve both swapped roles for a change.  

  Tony leans against Rhodey as he walks down the ramp to greet them. There’s no sign of Peter anywhere. Although that shouldn’t surprise him, it hurts. 

  As he gets closer Pepper starts smiling uncontrollably, struggling to keep herself rooted onto 

  “Your eyes are red, a few tears for your long lost boss?”

  “Tears of joy. I hate job hunting.” She tries to hold back her smile but fails miserably. 

  Before he can retort, the door of one of the cars opens and someone jumps out. Even though he looks different, there’s no world in which Tony wouldn’t recognise Peter. Not even with his short hair and new clothes.

  May and Ben follow him out of the car, trying to stop him so people don’t see but Peter is too fast for both of them. He makes a beeline towards Tony, completely ignoring everyone else in the area. 

  Although he should really be more worried about people finding out, in this moment he doesn’t give a fuck. How can he when Peter is right here. Right here at Tony’s side where he belongs. All his doubts about Peter are suddenly washed away. Even after three months apart Peter remembers him and - judging by the speed at which his running towards him - he isn’t angry.  

  “Dada!” Peter crashes into Tony, almost knocking him off of his feet.

  Even with one arm broken in a sling he bends down to pick Peter up. Over the three months he’s undoubtedly got bigger and heavier. Such a short period of time has had such an effect. He’s missed too much.

  “Hey Sparky.” Tony chuckles and buries his face in Peter’s hair. He can’t put his figure out what that smell is but it’s something purely Peter. His smell. The smell of safety and warmth and happiness. The smell of home. 

  “I missed you so much!” Tears start trickling down Peter’s cheeks onto Tony’s shoulder. Although he wants to wipe away the tears he wants to hold onto him more. There’ll be time to wipe away all the tears later. Right now he just needs to make sure this is all really happening and isn’t some kind of illusion.

  “I missed you too buddy.” He whispers quietly, sighing with relief.

   _Real_. This is real. It has to be. 

  “I knowed you would come home. They said you wouldn’t but I knowed.” He sniffles, snot joining the tear stains on his suit jacket.

  “I’ll always come back.” He turns his head to kiss Peter’s chubby red cheek. 

  “You promised you would come back in the morning.”

  “I know, I’m so sorry. I came back as quickly as I could.”

  “I was a good boy. I let them cut my hair.” Peter lets go of Tony and pulls back so he can look Tony right in the eyes. His warm brown eyes are bloodshot, tears still filling them.

  “I can see.”

  “I’m a big boy now. See! I was very good and big so you would come back and not be died.”

  “I know you are. I know you are.” He holds Peter close again so all he can smell is Peter.

  Peter has grown up and he’d missed it all. 

 

~~~

 

  “What do you mean the press conference?” All the joyous good will of earlier has already gone. Once again Pepper is yelling at him for being reckless and bossing him around. As nice as the happiness was, it’s almost nicer to be arguing with her once again. Peter might’ve changed a lot but not everything has.

  “I need to talk about some things. Make some announcements, that’s all.” He mutters. If he tells them what he’s going to say there’s no way they’ll let him go up there. There’s no doubt they’ll be holding a press conference about Tony’s rescue right now, the perfect place for Tony to start making changes.

  “That’s all?” Pepper snorts.

  “Yeah, that’s all.” He says completely seriously.

  “That’s all? You need to be going to a hospital, not making speeches.” She hisses and crosses her arms. 

  “I’m fine - a doctor already looked me over back in Afghanistan.”

  “Looked you over? Rhodey mentioned that - said you spent an hour there before locking yourself in the plane.”

  “I’m fine. I just need to do this.” He pleads with her. She doesn’t realise how important this is. His health can come later, right now he just needs to do this. He doesn’t want to be on bad terms with her but this goes beyond them. This is about him making a difference. Taking responsibility. Fixing everything he’s done wrong and living up to his promise to Yinsen. 

  “Fine...fine…” Pepper concedes but she’s still scowling. She won’t meet Tony’s eyes as she glares out of the window.

  “Where are we going?” Peter mutters as he clings to Tony.

  Both of them have cheeseburgers while everyone else has nothing. He’d offered to get Pepper, Happy, May and Ben some food but all of them refused. Their loss if you ask him.

  Despite knowing he should eat slowly, he practically inhales the food. There’s another burger in the bag but he decides to save it for a few minutes or he’ll just inhale that one too.

  “I’m just going to talk to some people.”

  “Why?” Peter cocks his head to one side and looks up at Tony.

  “To explain some things I learned while I was away.”

  At that moment the car pulls up outside of a large glass building. There are paparazzi and journalists completely flooding the streets as the clamour to get a good story. Their camera flashes take him right back to his younger days. God he wishes he had his sunglasses right now.

  “You’ve got to stay here kiddo.” It’s hard to say but he knows he can’t bring Peter with him. Although he doesn’t want to be separated again there’s not much of a choice. Not if he is actually going to go ahead with this.

  “Why?”

  “Because there’s going to be lots of people there and I don’t want you getting caught up in it.”

  “Why?” Peter is getting more impatient and argumentative. 

  “Just stay here with Aunt May and Uncle Ben.” Tony pries Peter off of him and hand him over to Ben.

  “No! I go too!” He starts squirming and scrambling to get out of Ben’s grasp. It’s a good thing Ben is strong because Peter is putting up quite the fight.

  “Not now Peter. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He makes his voice as soft as possible, practically begging Peter. It’s hard enough to leave him without him fighting to stay with Peter.

  “You promised before.”

  “I know but this time I’m just going to another room, not to another country.” He tries to reason with Peter.

  “I wanna stay.” Tears start prickling in his eyes again. 

  “I know but you’re a big boy now so you can wait for a few minutes until I get back.”

  After a few seconds he goes still and slack in Ben’s arms. There are still silent tears rolling down his face but he’s not trying to wriggle out of Ben’s arms any more. 

  “I’m so sorry Peter.” He kisses Peter’s head just as Peter turns his head, giving Tony the cold shoulder. Pain spikes through his heart but he tries to move past it. This has to be done, even if Peter hates him for it.

  As he steps out he’s greeted by Obie standing amongst the Paparazzi. Despite how he keeps thinking about Peter’s tears he has to force himself to smile for the camera’s. In truth, he hadn’t even noticed his god father wasn’t waiting for him at the airport. In all the excitement he hadn’t even thought to look for him.

  “Look at this! Tony!” Obie forces Tony into a hug before he’s even properly gotten out of the car. Despite the shock of the hug he doesn’t pull away. “You’re meant to be at the hospital. Look at you.” 

  Happy gets out of the car and hands Tony the bag of burgers again. 

  “You got burgers. Did you get me one of them?” 

  “No - there’s only one left and I need it.” He really does need it. When you’ve lived off of slop for months there’s nothing better than a cheeseburger. He’d forgotten how heavenly real meat can be, even if it is processed and shoved in a cheap bun. 

  This time he takes his time eating it and is still eating as they walk up to the podium. While Obie goes to stand behind the podium, Tony sits down on the floor in front of it and takes another bite of the burger. As Tony eats on the floor Obie gives an introduction - one that was clearly not prepared with Tony’s presence in mind. No one had been expecting him to show up here but that’s what he does best.

  “Would it be alright if everyone sat down? Why don’t you just sit down, that way you can see me. Little less formal.” Everyone, even Obie, obliges and sits down on the floor cross legged. 

  “I never got to say goodbye to dad.” He addresses Obie but then turns to the crowd, “I never got to say goodbye to my father.”

  It’s strange, he’s been angry at Howard for so long, and still is, but going to Afghanistan has put some things into perspective. Sometimes you aren’t able to be there for your kids. Sometimes things happen and you’re left with no choice or solution. It’s easy to look back on things and see what could’ve been done to prevent it but it’s impossible to know the future. Looking back is easy, it’s forward that’s hard.

  “There’s questions I would ask him. I would ask him how he felt about what this company did. If he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels.” Despite being Howard’s son he doesn’t actually know any more than the public about him. About his work. Why he did what he did will always be a mystery. Would he really have wanted this for the company he built up with his own blood, sweat and tears. Was this his vision?

  “I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system comfortable with zero accountability.” The bodies of those soldiers will be forever burnt into his mind.

  Everyone waits silently for Tony to continue, hooked on his every word. When nothing me is said they begin raising their hands. Every single person in the room seems to have their hand up with a question, even the paparazzi who normally stay quiet. He points at one randomly, overwhelmed by all the choices.

  “What happened over there?” The man asks quietly. 

  “I had my eyes opened. I came to realise that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries, until such a time as I can decide what the future of this company will be. What direction it should take. One that I am comfortable with and is consistent with the highest good for this country.”

  Everyone starts clamoring and forcing him off of the podium but he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about Obie’s attempt at fixing the situation or Peppers shocked face or the crowds of yelling people.

  The change starts here and no one is going to be able to stop it. 

  Although people try to get a statement from him they all usher him back into the car with May, Ben and Peter. Neither Rhodey nor Pepper get into the car as they try to deal with the onslaught of paparazzi and journalists. 

  He lets them all whisk him and Peter back to their home in silence. Even Peter doesn’t chatter as they drive up to mansion. He’d spent so long trying to get the kid to shut up and now here he was in complete silence. 

  Even when they pull up to the mansion everyone is deadly quiet. Ben and May excuse themselves, saying they need to rest after flying all the way out here with Peter from New York. Even though it’s the middle of the day all of them are knackered, including Peter.

  “You should get some sleep.”

  “What about you?” Peter frowns and clings to Tony even tighter.

  “I’m not tired.” Tony lies. As tired as he is there’s no way he’s going to be able to sleep now. There’s too much going on in his mind. If he could he would go straight down to the lab and start working on his new project - the suit - but with his mind as tired as it is he wouldn’t get anything done.

  “Nor am I.” Peter yawns.

  “Sure you’re not.” Tony mumbles, “Come on, bed time. I’ll tell you a story.” 

  “Okay…” Peter finally concedes. 

  Peter doesn’t even get to the end of Tony’s story. He’s asleep within the first few seconds which frees Tony to do his own thing. 

  He finds himself wandering over to the piano in the living room, taking a seat on the stool.   His fingers run along the delicate piano keys uncertainly. Smooth ivory against his calloused fingers. He'd forgotten how much he loved smooth surfaces.  

  Cautiously he starts playing the first song Maria ever taught him. It takes a few seconds for him to get back into it but once he’s going there’s no stopping him. Although he hears Pepper enter the house he doesn’t stop. 

  “You doing okay?” She mutters once is fingers leave the piano.

  “Course, why wouldn't I be?” He sighs. 

  “We've had this for years but I've never seen you play before.” She mumbles as her fingers trail along the keys delicately. 

  There are a million different answers or explanations he could give but he finds himself staying silent. 

  “You know how to play?” He asks her curiously after a few minutes of silence. He's never actually asked before. She seems like the kind of person that would know how to play. From what he's seen she knows how to do practically everything else. 

  “No. I tried to learn violin once but I hated it.” She cautiously draws nearer. Taking a single step at a time. 

  “Sit.” He shuffles along the piano stool to make space for her. Although half of his body is hanging off of the stool neither of them complain. 

  “Put your hands here.” Cautiously, he takes a hold of her hands and guides them over to the keys. 

  “Like this?” Her brow is creased as she tries to concentrate. She pushes the keys down a little too forcefully sending a cascade of sound out through the room. 

  “Yeah basically.” Her fingers are stiff and awkward but it's mostly correct. 

  They keep working on the different notes, slowly building up a song. Something classical and boring that he doesn't remember the name of, but it's one of Happy’s favourites. 

  Soon she starts to get the hang of it and doesn't even need Tony guiding her hands but he hovers over her anyway. His hand still lightly holding hers. 

  “There you go.” He smiles as she finally finished the song they’d been going over.

  “I can’t remember any of that.” She chuckles and turns her head to look at him.

  He hadn’t realised how close there were. The stool is so small they’re practically sitting on one another. They’re so close he can feel her breath on his cheek.

  “Dada?” Peter mutters from the doorway, breaking the spell. 

  “Hey Sparky.” Tony pulls away from Pepper and slowly gets off of the piano stool. She takes a deep breath in and straights up her back. before standing up like Tony. 

  As Tony gets closer to Peter he can see the tear tracks running down his face. One hand is tugging nervously at the sleeve of his other arm and he can't bring himself to actually meet Tony's eyes. 

  Tony crouches down and opens his arms for Peter. He shuffles forwards into Tony's arms, his head still bent low so it’s now buried in Tony's neck. 

  “I had a bad dream.” Peter whispers into Tony's ear. 

  “You okay kiddo?” Peter shakes his head, “You want some milk or something?” Peter shakes his head again. 

  “Nightlight.” His hand touches the arc reactor that's glowing brightly under Tony's shirt. 

  “I'll come lay down with you until you sleep.”  “Night Pepper.”

  “Good night Tony. Night Peter.”

  Him and Peter are practically joined at this hip from that moment on. It’s lucky Tony has been ordered to stay at home because it’s impossible to pry Peter off of him. They both sleep in the same bed every night, Peter’s hand resting on his arc reactor protectively. Even when they sit in the lab together he stays right next to Tony. Normally he would sit on the floor but now he sits on the holographic table that Tony’s working on.

  “What you doing?” He peers around to look at the hologram curiously.

  “Making a suit?”

  “A suit? Like what you wear at the parties?” He cringes and wrinkles his nose up adorably. They’d tried to get him in a suit like Tony’s before but he’d hated every second of it and had forced them to throw it away immediately. 

  “Not quite. This one can fly.” Tony wiggles his eyebrows. Peter gasps excitedly and sits up straight. His eyes sparkle as he imagines all the possibilities. 

  “Fly! Like a birdy?” Tony chuckles. Not the comparison he’d been drawing.  

  “Yeah, kinda. I used it to come back here.” Tony mumbles.

  “Really! Wow.” He whispers excitedly. 

  They both work together with J.A.R.V.I.S to build the suit over the next few weeks. Although the basic idea is the same it’s a far cry from the one he built in the cave. With J.A.R.V.I.S here to help him and all his tech he manages to condense the bulky suit down to something that’s almost the same size as him. It’s slick and graceful, something the other suit never was. 

  Before he can even start trying to use the suit though, he needs to make some other changes. The arc reactor he’d built in the cave is the first thing to go. The materials he’d had to hand had been awful and the end product was just that. Awful. As strong as it is, it’s nowhere near strong enough to sustain flight or the new upgraded capabilities of the armour. 

  Peter tries to help out but it’s a little beyond the capabilities of a three year old. Nonetheless he’s happy to help out with the mundane tasks of passing things while DUM-E, Butterfingers and U help with the actual important parts. 

  It takes even less time than it did before to make the new upgraded arc reactor but it’s then that he hits a snag.

  “Can you go get Pepper for me?” He asks Peter as he lies back on the makeshift bed. The new arc reactor is in his hand, glowing even brighter than the last. 

  “Okay.” Peter sets down his picture book and starts running up the stairs to get Pepper. 

  He’d tried to swap out the reactors on his own but it turns out, it isn’t that easy. He’s going to have to work on making that easier at some point but for now, Pepper will have to do. 

  It’s not long before Peter runs back down the stairs with Pepper trailing behind him. She’s frowning uncertainly, biting the inside of her cheek.

  “Hey, show me your hands.” He asks as soon as she’s inside the lab. Despite her reservations, she holds her hands up for Tony, “Oh wow, they are small. Very petite indeed. I just need your help for a sec. Peter’s hands would’ve been perfect but he’s three so I figured -”

  “Oh my god, is that the thing keeping you alive?” Pepper interrupts him and stares at the reactor in his hands.

  “It was. It is now an antique. This is what will be keeping me alive for the foreseeable future.” He lifts up the new reactor, “I’m swapping it out for an upgrade. I just ran into a little speed bump.” He decides not to explain why the upgrade is needed. It’s not like she _needs_ to know about the suit...not yet. 

  “A speed bump? What do you mean?”

  “It’s nothing, just a little snag.” As he’s explaining he reaches down and pulls out the reactor. “There’s an exposed wire under this device and it’s contacting the socket wall and is causing a little bit of a short circuit.” He quickly tugs the reactor out all the way and hands it to her, “It’s fine.”

  “What..what do you want me to do?”

  “Put it over there, that is irrelevant.” She cringes and only holds it with the tips of her fingers, but she puts it to the side just like he asked, “I just want you to reach in and you're going to gently lift the wire out.” He sighs. 

  “Is it safe?” 

  “Yeah, it should be fine. It's just like operation - just don't let it  touch the socket walls or it goes beep.” it’s not exactly true but he can’t afford for her to back out. It would be more dangerous if she doesn’t help him. 

  “What do you mean: like operation?” Now he knows what they’re going to play next games night. He can’t believe they’ve been friends for this long and he hasn’t made her play operation.

  “It doesn't matter, it's just a game. Just gently lift the wire. Okay?”

  Very slowly, she starts lowering her hand into the empty hole in his chest. 

  “You know I don't think I'm qualified to do this.” She hisses and pulls her hand straight back out.

  “You're fine. You're the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I have ever met. You're going to do great.” He gives her a warm heartfelt smile. The funny part is that he doesn't think he's even lying anymore. “Is it too much to ask because I really need help here?”

  “Okay, okay.” She mutters more confidently than before. 

  Hissing, she starts to lower her hand into the hole again. There's a squelching noise as her hand comes into contact with the discharge from the reactor. Unsurprisingly her nose wrinkles up in disgust at the noise.

  “Ugh, yucky.” Peter covers his ears and wrinkles his nose in the same way as Pepper. 

  “There's puss!” She squeals. Never has he seen her this disgusted or affected by anything. It's surprisingly funny to see her actually taken aback by something. For once he's not the hot mess. 

  “It’s not puss. It's just a plasmic discharge. It's from the device, not from my body.” He tries to explain but dishes squealing too much to hear him.

  “It's so gross. It smells.”

  “Yeah, it does. You need to get the copper wire. You got it?”

  “I got it, I got it, I got it.”

  “Okay, now don’t let it -” That very second she does what he was explaining and lets it touch the socket wall. 

  There a loud beep as the machines react to the contact and send electricity coursing through his body. Despite how still and calm he's trying to stay he jumps up from the pain. Why couldn't she just follow the instructions? 

  “ - ahhh, when your coming up.”

  “I'm so sorry.”

  “That's what I was trying to tell you before. Okay now, make sure when you pull out the wire you don't pull out the magnet.” He adds but it's already too late. Even if he couldn't hear the machines kicking off he can see the magnet now dangling freely outside his body. 

  “-that was it. You just pulled out - okay.” He hisses through gritted teeth.

  The machines around him like crazy. The sound alone is enough to alert someone that what she did is bad. All the screens all turn red too as they try to warn him of his current cardiac arrest.

  “Oh god. Okay, okay - what do I do?” She panics, almost putting the magnet and wire right back in. 

  “Don't put it back in.” He knocks her hand away from him so she quickly chucks it to one side and turns back to Tony. 

  “What's wrong?” Worry lines her face. 

  “Nothing, I'm just going into cardiac arrest because you yanked -” 

  “What?! I thought you said this was safe!” She yells over him. It’s odd seeing her lose her usual calm composure. Even the most calm  panic like crazy over something. 

  “We gotta hurry. Take this, take this.” He hands her the new improved arc reactor. 

  “Okay, okay.”

  “We gotta switch it out really quick.”

  “Tony, it's going to be okay. It going to be okay. I'm going to make this okay.” She tries to forcefully reassure him but it doesn't help at all. In fact, it only worsens things. Instead of stopping his cardiac arrest she's just talking… 

  “You're just going to attach that to the base plate.” He guides her so she’ll speed up. 

  Her hand reaches inside him again, holding the wire he'd pointed to which is attached to the end of the new arc reactor. Carefully guiding it, she connects it to the base plate with a loud buzz. The arc reactor the clicks into the casing easily. 

  “That was fine, see.” He smiles reassuringly, “I got it.” 

  She looks far from fine though. She’s breathing loudly, almost panting, and her head is covered in a layer of sweat. She groans as she shakes the sticky plasmic residue off of her hands. 

  “Are you okay?” She hisses nervously. 

  “Yeah, I feel great. Are you okay?”

  Judging by the disgruntled, disgusted glare he gets, the answer is not ‘ _great_ ’. He laughs loudly at her face, savouring the moment. Sure, it had been close, but she'd done it just like he knew she would. 

  “Don't ever, ever, ever, ever ask me to do anything like that ever again.” She chuckles but there's an underlying layer of seriousness beneath that. 

  “I don't have anyone else but you.” Sure he's got Peter and Happy and Rhodey but none of those are the same. Not really. He does t have another Pepper and he doubts he ever will.

  Not wanting to dwell in the moment, Tony sits up and starts pulling off the electrodes that were all over his chest. 

  “What do you want me to do with this?” She holds up the old reactor.

  “that? Destroy it. Incinerate it.”

  “You don't want to keep it?” 

  “Pepper, I have been called many things and nostalgic is not one of them.”

  “Will that be a Mr. Stark?” 

  “That’ll be all, Miss Potts.” He smiles and goes to pick up Peter. “Hey Pete, you’ve left your lab area all messy. Time to get cleaning kiddo.”

  “Okay.” He mumbles

  When Tony turns back to look for Pepper she's already gone. And so is the reactor.

 

~~~

 

  “Ready to run some trials then, Sparky?” Tony asks.

  He’s not actually in the suit for the trials. They’ve got the thrusters ready and attached to his arms and legs but nothing else. Once they’ve figured out the thrusters they can start actually adding them to the suit. The last few stages.

  “Ready!” Peter calls out from his little spot on the counter.

  Peter’s dressed up in a long white lab coat that drags behind him. They managed to find a pair of little safety goggles which don’t really fit him. It doesn’t make him any safer but he loves them nonetheless.

  It’s not only Peter helping out, the bots have also decided to join in. U has been given a camera to film all the trials for analysis since he’s the youngest of the three. Butterfingers still can’t be trusted to hold anything so he’s keeping Peter company which unfortunately leaves DUM-E on the fire extinguisher duty. It’s a risky decision but it’s the best they can make which doesn’t fill him with confidence.

  “Let’s start nice and easy, see if 10% thrust capacity can achieve lift.” Tony sighs and shakes his arms nervously, “3...2...1…”

  Instantly he rockets up into the air. He’d been expecting to only just achieve lift but clearly the thrusters were stronger than any of them could imagine. He is forced up with so much force he hits into the stone beam of the lab and falls back down to the ground painfully.

  Just to add insult to injury, DUM-E’s fire extinguisher trains on him. Before Tony or J.A.R.V.I.S can stop him he’s dousing Tony in carbon dioxide. His traitor son, Peter, even starts giggling at the sight.

  None of the other trials go any better. It turns out, flying is harder to control than he’d thought. Everytime they make an adjustment they get slightly closer but some new issue arises.

  The lab sessions get longer and longer but Peter stays with him the whole time. He only goes out of the room to gather food, coffee and other supplies. He runs the whole trip up to the kitchen so they’re only separated for a couple of minutes. 

  Neither of them have properly showered or bathed in a while which isn’t making the lab smell the best. All his showers are under five minutes and he won’t even look at a bath which makes it hard to help Peter bathe. They’d tried to get Happy to do it instead of Tony but Peter had been too freaked out at being in a different to Tony for an extended period of time. They make the bath sessions a little longer each time, trying to wean him off, but as they are right now they are too short to properly clean him.

  “Look, look!” Peter shouts as he runs down the stairs from one of the trips. There’s a bag of coffee beans resting on a plate of cookies in one hand and a large box wrapped in brown paper in the other, “Pepper’s made you a present. She wanted to come down to give it to you but said you were too smelly.”

  He sets down his tools and walks over to greet Peter. First he takes the heavy tray of cookies from him and sets it on the side. The coffee beans he takes off of the tray and throws over to the countertop where the coffee machine is.

  Once the other two are dealt with he takes Peppers present.

  “What is it!” Peter jumps up and down.

  “I haven’t opened it yet.” He rolls his eyes and smiles. Clearly patience isn’t one of his skills. They’ll have to work on that.

  “Open it! Open it!” It’s just like christmas day all over again. 

  “Why don’t you open it for me?” He hands Peter the box which he takes without hesitation. In a second flat he’s torn apatrt the wrapping and thrown them over his shoulder so he can look at the present.

  “Night light.” He points to the arc reactor inside a large glass box. Around the outside of the arc reactor are the words: **PROOF THAT TONY STARK HAS A HEART**. He smiles and takes the glass box from Peter.

  “That’s right. It’s Dada’s old night light.”

  With Peter trailing after him he goes over to the wall with all of Peter’s drawings. There’s a space on a shelf next to the drawings right beside a picture of Rhodey and Mary laughing perfect for the little glass box. He’s not sentimental in the slightest... 

 

~~~

 

  Just like every other time his entire body is tense. It probably not helping his ability to fly but when all the pervious 36 trials have ended with your face or body getting smashed in some way you start to get wary. 

  “Day 11. Trial 37. Configuration 2.0.” Tony sighs, “For lack of a better option, DUM-E is still on fire safety. If you douse me again and I’m not on fire, I’m donating you to a city college.” Tony points an accusatory finger at DUM-E. Every time they do one of these trials it’s a coin flip as to whether DUM-E is going to completely douse him and Peter. 

  “You okay there Pete?” He calls out to Peter who’s currently sat  back in his spot on the edge of Tony’s workstation watching. He’s still in his lab outfit with the lab coat and goggles. The goggles are so big that they keep sliding down his face, forcing him to push them back up every few seconds.  

  “Yup!” He has to put down his notepad and crayon in order to free his hands. Once they’re both free he gives Tony two thumbs up and a big grin.

  “You gonna keep notes again?” Peter’s notes aren’t exactly notes, per say. Since he can’t write yet they’re just random scribbles on the sheet of paper but to him they have meaning. Not exactly helpful notes but he’s got J.A.R.V.I.S for the actual ones.

  “Yup!”

  “Okay...great…” Tony mutters, “Nice and easy, seriously. We’re going to start off with 1% thrust capacity. In 3...2...1…”

  The thrusters suddenly spark to life, jolting his body as he’s forced up into the air. It’s not a huge lift - in fact he only goes up by a couple of inches but it’s something. It might not be flight but it’s the closest he’s gotten so far.

  Both the arm and leg thrusters are working, sending vibrations all through his body and bones. He needs to clench his jaw just to keep himself from biting his tongue as a result of the vibrations. 

  As he drops down to the ground Peter starts clapping loudly. The notepad and crayon are discarded to the side, completely forgotten.

  “You flied!”

  “Almost - just need a little more thrust then I’ll be properly flying.” He braces himself once again, “Let’s take it up to 2.5%. 3...2...1…”

  The difference is immediately obvious. When before he was only levitated a little way, this time his stomach somersaults as he’s shot right up into the air. He still comes to a stop before losing control but it’s considerably higher up.

  He’s also less stable now. While before he maintained his stable position, this time he can feel himself wobbling and careening off path. He has to keep adjusting the position of his hands to keep himself from becoming too unstable.

  Doing this in the lab garage combo was probably a bad idea. As he careens around the room he damages literally everything under him. Paper from the counters fly up in all directions and the thrusters even damage his cars as he accidentally starts moving over the tops of them. 

  As soon as he gets back to his testing area he shuts off all the power in the thrusters. Any longer in the air and he would’ve completely damaged something. Besides, they seem to have proved that he can fly.

  “This time you flied?” 

  “You bet I did.” He laughs in disbelief. He actually really flew. If he could just get out in an open environment... “Now we need to try it with the suit on!”

  “Are you going to go fly outside?” He asks excitedly. It has been his request ever since Tony first mentioned making a flying suit.

  “How else are we going to find out how well it really flies.” He grins at Peter.

  Neither of them want to wait so he goes straight over to the machine that puts the suit on. The thrusters are both already attached to his arms and legs due to the test flights so he just needs to have the actual suit put on on top. The suiting up is a process he’s gonna have to speed up because right now it takes far too long. 

  “J.A.R.V.I.S are you there?” He asks as soon as the final piece, the face plate has been added. 

  “At your service, sir.”

  This is the first time he’s tried the full suit on and the first time J.A.R.V.I.S has been uploaded. Holograms and information flickers all over the face plate as J.A.R.V.I.S tries to figure out what’s going on. The visuals are superimposed on the image of the world in front of him.

  He wonders whether this is what J.A.R.V.I.S always sees. Just looking at things now gives him information on that very thing. Everything on the internet already accessible to him whenever he wants it.

  “Engage heads up display. Record all preferences from home interface.”

  “Will do sir.” He mutters.  

  “What do you say?” He asks as the final pieces of hologram add themselves to his visuals. 

  “I have indeed been uploaded, sir. I am online and ready.”

  “So, what do you say, Pete? Shall I take it for a test flight?”

  “Yes!” He squeals and jumps up and down.

  “Are you sure, sir? We should really be powering down to run a diagnostic.” J.A.R.V.I.S attempt to dissuade them but if he thinks that’s going to work then he’s got another thing coming.  

  “Sometimes you’ve gotta run before you can walk.” He turns to face Peter, “Wish me luck kiddo. 3...2...1…”

  He starts off just like the last trial but leans forward so he’s horizontal now. This time the thrusters fire him straight forward toward the ramp that leads up to the outside of the house. He just about hovers over the surface as he’s shot at an alarming speed up the ramp. Peter and the bots are far behind him, forgotten in the dust.

  He’s only getting faster and faster, culminating as he shoots straight out of the ramp and soars into the sky. The mansion underneath him gets smaller and smaller as he soars higher and higher. Everything fades away but him and the sky around him. Completely free. 

  At first he’s spinning uncontrollably but he quickly stabilises and begins circling the mansion. He can’t stop himself from laughing at what he’s done. He’s flying. He’s flying in the suit him and Peter have created. He’d always wanted to fly but he’d never realised quite how amazing it would feel until now. This is almost certainly the best feeling in the world. 

  “Let’s see what this thing can do.” He says as he starts to fly vertically up again “What’s the SR-71’s record?”

  “The altitude record for fixed wing flight is 85,000 feet, sir.”

  He can totally beat that. He must be able to. 

  “Records are made to be broken.” He grins and increases the power of the thrusters.

  He jolts forward, soaring up higher and higher and higher. It really is like being in a plane. Watching all the world crumble away. Become meaningless and miniscule. It certainly feels better than being in a plane. 

  He feels like he could keep going up forever - at least until J.A.R.V.I.S starts talking.

  “Sir, there is a potentially fatal build up of ice occurring.” But he decides to ignore him. They’re so close now. Just a little higher. A little more…

  The thrusters start spluttering and failing as the ice completely overwhelms the suit. He loses all visuals and even J.A.R.V.I.S from the suit. Slowly he starts falling, picking up speed as he drops. He needs to do something, anything, to get rid of the ice or slow himself down.

  His hands scramble for the manual button to deploy the flaps. It’s considerably harder when the entire suit is coated in ice. Harder but not impossible. Thankfully all the ice breaks off as he twists it, freeing up his systems again. J.A.R.V.I.S quickly loads himself back in and turns on the thrusters seconds before they both smash into the ground. 

  Despite the seriously close call, he starts laughing. He’s alive. It had been close but he survived. It’s giddy to think about how close he’d come. In the end he’d pulled through just like he always does.

  He pulls back up into the air, staying at a reasonable height this time, and starts heading back home. For tonight that’s probably enough. Let J.A.R.V.I.S run all his diagnostics and then he can have another go. 

  As he gets closer he can see Peter stood at the top of the ramp. DUM-E, Butterfingers and U are all stood beside him, watching the sky. They all clap as Tony slowly lowers himself down to their level until he’s only just hovering over the ground.

  "You did it!" Peter squeals.

  "We did it, together." Tony smiles warmly. “How did it look from ground control?”

  “Amazing!” Peter cheers and starts clapping, “You went high high high, Then you went zoomy and went really far down.” Peter explains rapidly making Tony laugh. 

  “You’re not wrong.” He chuckles and lands on the ground in front of Peter, “You know what the next step is?”

  “Colour.”

  “You bet.”

  With Peter’s input they decide on a gold titanium alloy suit with hot rod red in places. A mix of gold and red that might not be inconspicuous but certainly looks good. It would probably be better to make it less visible but where’s the fun in that?

  As they work the news blares on the TV. He’s not really paying attention to it until he hears his own name being spoken. A charity ball in his name and he’s not even going there. 

  “Did we get an invite to that?” He frowns. Normally Pepper would tell him about something like this. Why did he not even get asked this time? 

  “There’s nothing in my records sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S hums as he works on the new suit. 

  “What do you think Peter? Should I go crash the party?” He wiggles his eyebrows. 

  “Show them who’s boss!” Peter says excitedly. Some of the stuff he comes out with surprises Tony. Where had he even heard that?

  “Sounds like a plan. You should go wake up Happy. Get him to play cars with you or something until I get back. That’ll annoy him.”

  It’ll be the longest they’ve been apart since Afghanistan but they should be able to do it. They’ve spent the last two weeks slowly spending more and more time apart. This might be skipping a few stages but perhaps that’s what they both need at this point. Ripping off the band aid.

  “When will you come home?”

  “Soon. I’ll just show them off and come home. Maybe two hours or so.” He mumbles and lifts Peter off of the counter onto the floor.

  He takes Peter upstairs and gets changed before coming back down and getting into one of his flashy cars. If he’s going to show up at this party then he’s going to show up big.

  Unsurprisingly, when he arrives Obie is already there. He’d been purposely keeping this party from Tony. Sure, if they’d asked he’d probably have declined but they hadn’t. They’d purposely kept it a secret and just to spite them he was going to show up. It’s petty but not above him. 

  “What’s the world coming to when a guy has to crash his own party?” He grumbles as he approaches Obie.

  “Look at you. What a surprise.” He chuckles and tries to feign happiness but he’s not fooling anyone. Not even the journalists and paparazzi around them think Obie wants him here.

  “I’ll see you inside.” He pats Obie on the back and tries to maneuver around him.

  As fun as it is to watch him squirm, he’d rather find something to drink and some actual good company. It’s been so long since he’s actually been to one of these. Ever since getting back from Afghanistan he’s been locked up in the mansion by Obie and Pepper. Trying to minimise the damage as they put it. But now he’s free and loose on the world. Sue him for wanting to have fun. 

  “Hey, take it slow. I think I’ve got the board right where we want them.”

  “Got it. I’ve just got cabin fever - I’ll only take a minute.” It’s somewhat the truth, he does have cabin fever, although he’d really just come to piss them off. It’s not like he’d ever planned to stay for very long, it was more of a drop in than anything else.

  When he gets inside he goes straight to the bar and orders himself a drink. Without Happy here he can’t let himself get too drunk but that doesn’t mean he can’t have any drinks at all. One or two won’t hurt.

  “Give me a scotch, I’m starving.”

  “Mr. Stark.” A man from along the counter steps forward to greet Tony. He doesn’t recognise the man’s face but he can’t be sure. There’s a lot of people he meets that he doesn’t recognise.

  “Yeah…”

  “Agent Coulson.” The name sounds familiar. Pepper had mentioned it before. Told him a guy called Agent Coulson approached her during Tony’s press conference asking for a meeting.

  “Oh yeah...the guy from the Strategic -”

  “Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division.” Coulson takes over, finishing off the convoluted acronym.

  “Right...yeah. You’ve really gotta think of a better name for that.” Tony mumbles. There’s no way anyone can remember a name as long as that.

  “Yeah, I hear that a lot. I know this must be a trying time for you but we need to debrief you. There’s still a lot of unanswered questions and time can be a factor with these things. Let’s just put something on the books. How about the 24th at 7:00pm at Stark Industries?”

  In all honesty, he’s stopped paying attention anymore. Amongst the crowd of dancing people he can see Pepper. She’s wearing a low back blue dress that he’s never seen before.

  “Tell you what. You’ve got it. You’re absolutely right.” He holds his hand out for Coulson to shake. “We’ll...uh...I’m going to go to my assistant and we’ll make a date.”

  He darts through the crowd and saunters over to Pepper. He’s probably making a mistake but mistakes are what he does best.

  “You look fantastic, I didn’t recognise you.” He mutters as soon as he’s within touching distance of her. She turns around and frowns at him.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Just avoiding government agents.” He mumbles, thinking back to the strange agent he’s just left. It was only a few seconds ago but he’s already forgotten what the man said. Hopefully it wasn’t important...

  “Are you alone? What about Peter?” She looks around the room as if she expects Peter to be here with TOny for some reason. 

 “He’s fine, he’s with Happy.” He brushes off the question quickly.

  “I haven’t seen you apart in weeks. Is he okay?” She bites her lip nervously, her worries spiralling out of control.

  “He’s fine - gave me his blessing to come. You wanna dance?” He quickly changes the conversation Topic. As much as he loves the kid, all his conversations nowadays seem to be about him. Sometimes there are other things he wants to talk about. 

  “Oh no, thank you -” 

  “Alright, come on.” He holds onto her wrist gently and leads her over to the dance floor.

  Despite her previous protests she doesn’t complain as he takes her hand and starts slowly dancing with her. His hands rest on her hip as they sway along to the music

  “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

  “Um...no...no…” She mutters. There’s a slight red tint to her cheeks but he can’t tell whether that’s make up or a blush. She moves even closer, biting her lower lip. It’s almost as close as they were when they were playing the piano.

  Although they spend so much time together now it’s odd to be spending it alone. It’s rare to be together without Peter somewhere nearby. 

  Both of them dance in silence, forgetting about everyone else in the room. None of them matter right now. He’s been wanting to do this ever since that night with the piano. Before that even. Maybe even before Afghanistan. 

  Once again she looks up at him thoughtfully. It’s like she’s trying to read him. She’s studying every crease and imperfection on his face and yet is still smiling. Somehow it feels even closer than when they were playing piano together.

  “How about a little air?” He tries to defuse the situation quickly.

  “Yes...I could use some air.” She mutters.

  Together they head out to the roof. It’s a chilly night but Pepper doesn’t complain despite how little her dress covers. 

  “That was weird…” She mumbles as the roof empties of people. Even though there’s lots of space they’re still incredibly close.

  “Was it…? Because it felt pretty normal to me.” 

  “No, it was weird.” She says firmly but he doesn’t buy it. Recently so little has felt normal or right. Peter is one of the few things that does and so is this - whatever this is.

  “What about the first day I got back. Was that also weird?” He thinks back to the day with the piano. 

  “...yes...that was weird.” She tries to lie but he can see right through her. It should’ve been weird - it really should’ve - but it hadn’t been. Nor had them dancing. It had felt right.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “You’re my boss. And I’m here wearing this ridiculous dress and we’re dancing and that doesn’t mean nothing. That means something.”

  “Do you want it to?” 

  “I would like a drink.”

  “Okay...got it.”

  “I would like a vodka martini. Very dry with extra olives. A lot of olives. Like, at least three olives.”

  “Got it….”

  As he walks back into the club he tries to stop thinking about Pepper. There are so many beautiful women all around him but none of them do anything to distract him. Right now he doesn’t like any of them. Not the way he usually does.

  “Tony Stark. It’s nice to meet you.” A blonde woman in a black dress steps in front of him just after he’s placed the order in with the barkeeper.

  “Who are you?” He doesn’t think he’s met her before. Did he sleep with her once? It’s possible.

  “Christine Everhart. I’m a reporter.” That’s worse than him sleeping with her.

  “Of course you are.” He rolls his eyes. They’re all the same. Always fishing for a story, regardless of what they need to do to get it. Reporters have been his least favourite people ever since he was old enough to read the headlines in the newspapers.

  “You have a lot of nerve showing up here tonight. Can I at least get a reaction from you?” She is clenching her jaw furiously.

  “Confused mostly. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” There are a million different things she could be referring to right now and he doesn’t care about any of them.

  “I was referring to your company’s involvement in this latest atrocity.” She spits like he’s supposed to know what she means. 

  “Yeah, they just put my name on the invitation. I don’t know what to tell you.”

  “I actually almost bought it hook line and sinker.” She starts talking over him. Her riddles are getting pretty repetitive. Why do they never just cut to the chase. It’s always got to be a whole song and dance.

  “Look, I’ve been out of town for a couple of months, in case you didn’t hear.”

  “Is this what you call accountability?” She pulls out a set of photos from her purse. They show dead men women and children. Weapons with Stark Industries written on them being carried around by the same people that took Tony - the Ten Rings.

  “It’s a town called Gulmira. Have you heard of it?”

   _Gulmira_...that’s where Yinsen was from. What the hell happened here? Was that what killed Yinsen’s family? He’d never mentioned his home town being attacked but it’s possible. He’d mentioned individual instances of people being attacked but never made it sound like this.

  “When were these taken?” 

  “Yesterday.” She crosses her arms.

  “I didn’t approve any shipments.”

  “Well your company did.”

  “I’m not my company.”

  He needs to talk to Obadiah…

  The bartender places his and Peppers drinks on the counter but he leaves them. This is more important. Someone in the company is knowingly providing these monsters with weapons and he’s going to figure out who. 

  Pushing through the crowd he makes his way over to the front of the building. There he can see Obadiah on the red carpet chatting to journalists. He can’t know, can he? Sure, he’s ambitious but he would never go that far. Never knowingly hurt innocent people for money.

  “Have you seen these pictures?” He thrusts them at Obadiah, forcing him to look. The man doesn’t even look for a second before sighing.

  “Tony, you can’t afford to be this naive.”

  “No, I was naive before when they said here’s the line we don’t cross it, this is how we do business. Are we double dealing under the table? Are we?” Tony hisses maliciously.

  This has gone too far and he needs answer. He spent too long turning his back on the company. Those years that he spent hiding away in his lab inventing are the cause of all this. He stupidly thought that he could run the company from the sidelines, only showing up when necessary, and keep things in check. Now he realises he couldn’t have been more wrong. People are dying and it’s his faulty. 

  Obadiah doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t need to. His silence is all the words he needs. As he straightens his back and waves to the camera’s, disgust writhes through Tony. This man knew all about this and he didn’t care.

  “Let’s take a picture. Come on.” Both of them smile sweetly for the cameras. Another fake out. Pretending things are okay for the millions of onlookers.

  “Tony, who do you think locked you out? I was the one who filed the injunction against you. It’s the only way I could protect you.” More lies. That’s all people do in this world they lie and betray and cheat and hurt. But not anymore. He already knows what he’s going to do and he’s not going to wait for a board or committee to approve it because by then, it’ll be too late.

  As soon as he wakes up the next day he gets into his suit. There’s no more waiting around. He flies straight over to Gulmira without stopping or waiting for anything. For the first time it’s like he’s actually doing something. He’d tried to make a difference by shutting down the weapons division but fat lot of good that did. If you want something done you need to do it yourself.

  It’s clear that Christine wasn’t lying. Everywhere he looks are his own weapons. And Obadiah is to blame.

 

~~~

 

  “What’s going on?” Pepper appears in the doorway to the lab.

  He’s still hooked up to the machine that removes the armour from him. It had been easier last time but then he didn’t have bullet holes in the armour. Turns out fighting a gang of terrorists leaves a lot of bullet holes, even in a suit that’s normally great at protecting him from bullets. 

  He feel like sleeping for a week straight but there’s no time for that. The fight with the terrorists to free Gulmira should’ve been the end of the fight but while going back to the US he’d been intercepted by US fighter pilots. Those guys have some real skills. It had been a nightmare trying to avoid them both without getting either man seriously injured. In the end he’s had to explain his entire project to Rhodey just to keep himself alive. He’s certainly not going to hear the last of that. 

  “Let’s face it, this is not the worst thing you’ve caught me doing." He sighs. 

  “Are those bullet holes?” She gasps as she gets closer to him and suit.

  “Yeah…”

  “Tony! What the hell is going on!”

  “Mind if I explain later - when I’m not in the middle of getting undressed.”

  “Fine, but I’m waiting right here until you tell me.” She takes a seat on the couch in the lab, crossing her arms impatiently. She doesn’t say a thing as Tony gets out of the suit but she doesn’t take her eyes off of Tony.

  “Peter and I made a suit.”

  “I can see that. Why? What the hell are you doing? Why are there bullet holes?” The words suddenly spill out of her. She can’t stop herself from asking questions.

  “People are dying Pep. My weapons are being sold to terrorists and I had to stop them.” He sighs tiredly. 

  “So, what, you flew into a terrorist area and took them out?! Do you know how crazy that sounds!” Her hands rest on either side of her temple as she massages them.

  “You don’t understand Pepper, these are my weapons. I made them to protect people, to do good and they’re just being used to kill more innocent people.”

  “That doesn’t mean you should try to kill yourself!” She sits up straight and glares at him. There’s fire behind her eyes that he hadn’t been expecting. Why is she so angry? 

  “I’m not. I’m not.” He tries to reassure her. Killing him isn’t the aim but he can’t sit back and do nothing.

  “That’s what’s going to happen if you keep on trying to do this on your own.”

  “I don’t want to do this on my own.” He’d tried doing things on his own before and it has never got him anywhere. For the first time he realises that sometimes doing things alone isn’t actually better. “I want you to help me. I need you to go into my office and hack into the mainframe to retrieve all the recent shipping manifests.”

  “That’s not what I meant Tony and you know it.” Her glare softens slightly but she crosses her arms.

  “You’re right. I can’t do this without help but I don’t have anyone else except. I need to put an end to this for once and for all and this is how I do that.” He pleads with her. Although he is vulnerable and exposed he doesn’t feel the need to start pulling up his walls. Not with Pepper.

  “This will really put an end to it…?” She creases her eyebrows as she uncrosses her arms.

  “It will.”

  “...Fine. What do I do.” She sighs and leans back on the couch slightly.

  “You take this, it’s a lock chip. It’ll get you in. It should be under executive files. If not they’ve put it on a ghost drive in which case you’ll need to look for the lowest numerical heading.” Trusting her to get everything he starts rapidly listing off all of the instructions. She’s kept up with faster before.

  “But what will you do with the manifests? You say this is the end but what will you actually do with them?”

  “Same drill as before. I need to stop them for once and for all. After this though, that’ll be it.”

  “It doesn’t sound like the end Tony. It sounds like you’ll just be throwing yourself back into the fire. I’d do anything for you but I won’t help if you’re just going to start all this again.”

  “There is nothing except this. There’s no art opening. No Benefit. Nothing to sign. There is just the next mission. At least until I have finished this for good.” He is voice slowly crescendos. Why can’t she understand this? 

  “Is that so? Then I quit.” She hisses coldly and turns to leave the room.

  “You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. And now that I’m trying to protect the people I put in harm’s way you’re going to walk out?”

  “This isn’t what they want, you know. Peter or Mary or your parents. This isn’t what they want.” She turns around and walks right back into the room, “Peter needs a father - someone to take care of him. He hardly slept while you were gone all those months. He loves you so much and you were just gone. How would he react if you actually died?! Did you even think about that. You’ve already got people you need to protect! Your family. It’s not just your own life you’re playing with. It’s his too. And mine. All of ours.”

  He knows. He does.

  As the silence settles he slumps down on his chair. 

  “I shouldn’t be alive, unless it was for a reason. I was given this chance by someone - a chance to make a difference.” He sighs and leans back in his chair, “I’ve thought about all that Pepper but I know what I have to do. How can I look Peter in the eye knowing I did nothing to stop all this? How can I let him grow up in a world where things like this happen. I know what I have to do. I know in my heart that it’s right.”

  With a sigh she steps forward and takes the lock chip right from his desk. Just as she’s about to pass trough the door of the lab she turns around and watches him.

  “This family is all I have. You and Peter - Happy too. We’ve all got each other. None of us will be okay if you kill yourself.”

  Then she leaves him alone once again.

  Unlike normal Tony doesn't go to bed with Peter tonight. Obie’s up to something and he needs to figure out what. With Pepper out there trying to find evidence he can't rest. 

  At that very moment he gets a call from Pepper. However the second he picks up the call his body goes completely stiff. Paralysed. He can't even turn his head to look for the source. Everything is completely out of his control. 

  There's a high pitched whine coming from something right beside his ear. It's a familiar sound. Too familiar. 

  His mind is back on the surgery table with people sticking their hands inside him. He'd thought he moved past all that but the vulnerability is still there. 

  “Tony? Tony are you there?” Peppers voice calls out to him from the phone but he can't even open his mouth to respond. 

  As he sits paralysed someone reaches over and takes the phone right out of his hand. In his peripheral vision he watches them hang up the phone and his last tie to someone else get cut off. 

  The same person slowly lowers Tony onto the couch, lying him back gently. If it was any other situation he'd be inclined to say lovingly - but it isn't any other situation. 

  “Breath.” Obie’s voice mutters melodically, “Easy, easy.”

  Obie’s face appears in his peripheral. Even upside down there's no mistaking the smug grin. The smirk.

  “You remember this one don't you.” He holds up the small device making the high pitched buzzing. “It's a shame the government didn't approve of it. There's so many applications of something that can cause short term paralysis.”

  Obie walks around the couch slowly. Leisurely. As if he's got all the time in the world although both of them know he's only got 15 minutes. 

  “Oh Tony,” He reaches forward and grabs Tony's face, “When I ordered the hit on you I worried that I was killing the golden goose.”

  He pulls out an odd device and locks it into place on the reactor. Tony hisses as he starts twisting the device which, by extension, twists the arc reactor too. 

  “But, you see, it's just fate that you survived.” He slowly pulls the device up, bringing the arc reactor up with it, “You had one last golden egg to give.”

  Now the arc reactor is out of his body again. There's nothing but the gaping hole into his chest left. Obie holds his very heart in that device, glowing softly. 

  The man rests his hand right next to Tony's head, putting all his weight on it. With his arm resting there he can move even closer. Press in on Tony's personal space. His skin crawls but there's nothing he can do. Not like this. 

  A horrible mix of the  claustrophobia, reactor and paralysis are making it hard to breathe. With his reduced lung capacity it’s already starting to feel like he's losing consciousness. 

  “You think that just because you have an idea, it belongs to you?” Obie sneers and holds the reactor even closer to Tony. Taunting him. 

  “Your father, he helped give us the atomic bomb. What kind of world would it be today if he was as selfish as you?”

  With that he yanks the reactor out all the way, completely disconnecting it from Tony. He gasps, a newfound pain shooting through him. It's like thorns tearing through his veins and arteries. Splitting him apart one blood vessel at a time. 

  “It's beautiful. Oh, Tony. This is your ninth symphony.” He sighs with a smile and takes a seat next to Tony. He holds up the reactor for them both to admire,  “What a masterpiece. Look at that. This is your legacy. A whole generation of weapons with this at its heart. Weapons that will help steer the world back on course. Put the balance of power in our hands. The radiance.” He chuckles. 

  Finally he takes his arm off of the back of the couch which puts more space between him and Tony. Hes reaching over to grab his briefcase to store the reactor. 

  “I wish you could see my prototype. It's not as…conservative as yours. Too bad you had to involve Pepper in this. I know I wasn't sure about her at first but over the years I've come to like her. I would've preferred that she lived.”

  Not Pepper. He should've known to keep her out of this. Not to rely on anyone. It never ends well for him or them. 

  “No!” Peter screams at the top of his lungs just as Obie is starting to leave. 

  His heart drops right out of his body. No no no no no no no. Not Peter. Please not Peter. Why couldn't he just stay in bed? Why is he even here? 

  “Peter, Peter, Peter.” Obie drawls ominously, “You need to wait your turn. I'm getting to you next.” Obie smirks so only Tony can see him. 

  Fucking piece of shit. 

  “Put that back!” Peter yells and moves even closer. Too close. He should be running the other way and leaving Tony to die. Why doesn't he run?! If any of them have to die then it should be Tony. 

  “Put it back?” Obie chuckles, “You're a bossy little one aren't you?”

  “You're hurting him!” Peter runs forward and pushes Obie. Unfortunately his weak push does absolutely nothing. 

  “Yes I am.” Obie grabs a hold of Peters arm and yanks him closer. “You know who else I'm going to hurt? You.” He whispers in Peters ear. 

  Instantly Peter tries to wriggle away but Obie holds him tightly. After a few seconds of struggling, Obie grabs the same paralyser he used on Tony and raises it to Peters ears. Instantly Peter goes slack in Obies arms, 

  “I should be thanking you for making it so easy to dispose of Peter. So few people even know about him.” Obie hauls Peter over his shoulder, “I'm sorry it had to end this way Tony. I really didn't want to hurt you or Peter but unfortunately you gave me no choice.”

  Once again he struggles against the paralysis but there's no give. His finger can't even twitch. No matter how hard he tries to get to Peter and Obie he only fails.

  As they get further and further from the door he tries harder and harder to no avail. Never in his life has he felt more useless. Back in the cave he'd thought those were the worst moments of his life but he was so wrong. There's no way that anything could be worse than watching Peter get dragged away. At least back in the cave he knew Peter would be in a good home. Now he wishes he'd just died out there - at least Peter would be fine right now. 

  It's only once Peter and Obie are long gone that feeling starts to return to him. His arms are suddenly able to move but it's too late for Peter.

  Although he can somewhat move again, his issues are far from over. Without the reactor he can feel his heart slowly giving up on him. Can feel the energy draining out of him. Killing him slowly and painfully. 

  If he wants to save Peter it's clear he's going to need to find a replacement reactor first. If he doesn't then he’ll die and no one will get to Peter in time.

  There must be something. Someway. That's when he remembers Peppers gift. That stupid sentimental arc reactor ornament that he loves. 

  Pushing off of the couch, he falls down onto the cold hard floor. Without use of his arms he can walk but he should be able to use his arms to slide across the floor. He saw Peter do it a million times, how hard can it be? 

  Since his arms are weak it takes longer than it should to drag him all the way down to the labs. With every movement he can feel himself getting weaker. At this rate he’ll never make it in time. Although he can see the arc reactor on the counter it's too far to reach. Too high up. 

  As he gets to the base of the counter he pushes up, trying to stretch up for it. His fingers scrape the very edge of it but can't actually grab a hold of it. Can't quite reach it. 

  Before he can try again his legs buckle under him. He loses his grip on the counter and slips to the ground. His head slams against the hard counter, knocking the last breaths out of him

  Just when he thinks all hope is lost there's a quiet buzz above him. Using his last few reserves of energy he looks upwards to find Butterfingers watching him. His claw reaches forward and grabs the glass box with the reactor in it. Tony watches as he lowers it towards Tony's arms so he can reach it. 

  It's like Mary’s still here watching over him. 

  “Thanks buddy.” 

  As quickly as he can he takes the glass box from Butterfingers and slams it against the ground. Glass shatters all around him, covering the floor completely. Shards dig into his skin, drawing blood, but he doesn't care in the slightest. 

  Not wanting to taunt death any more than he already has, he grabs a hold of the arc reactor and forces it into his body just as he passes out. 

 

~~~

 

  Peters scared. More scared than when Dada left. A million billion times more scared. He hadn't thought Dada would stay gone forever last time but this time he’s not so sure. Obie had been hurting Dada and now he's going to hurt Peter too. He wants to do something but what can he do? Even Dada couldn't stop him so what will Peter be able to do? Peter doesn't have a shiny suit or a magic blue heart. He's just Peter. 

  “You've got to be quiet now Peter. I have important work to do and more important people to deal with now.” Obie grumbles as he ties a smelly dirty cloth around Peters mouth. It gets all on his tongue and makes him feel sick but Obie doesn't stop. 

  There are pieces of plastic tying his arms and legs together even though he can't move. He's so tied up that even if he was able to move his body he wouldn't be able to run away. 

  Once he's finished tying up Peters mouth he grabs his arms and drags him over to the side of the room. His back hits a cold, wet wall with a thud but Obie doesn't care. 

  Peter had never been sure about Obie but he was family. He spent Christmas with them. He used to bring Peter chocolates on his birthday. He never used to make people hurt like this. Peter and Tony had been very good. They were going to save the world together. So why were they being hurt? 

  Obies footsteps get quieter and quieter until it's like they've gone completely. It's dark so it's hard to tell but he can't see Obie anywhere anymore. Did he go away?

  Dark is everywhere. Even darker than Peters bedroom. Normally he would be able to turn and see Dada’s night light lighting up the room. The soft blue chasing away all the shadows and monsters. 

  But now the monsters have Dada. This time it's Peters job to chase them away. 

  As he tries to wriggle he finds his arms actually moving. It's not a big movement but it's a movement. Although he can't do much he feels better. 

  Time to put on your brave face, Peter. 

  “My brave face. My brave face. My brave face.” He chants. His eyes are screwed up as tightly as they can but it’s still scary. If he could he would hide under his covers until all the monsters disappeared like he did all those nights in Uncle Ben and Aunt May’s. But he can’t. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing he can do though. 

  Now he can move his arms and legs he starts to wriggle across the floor. It’s too dark to see where Obie is but he might still be close. Just in case, Peter moves as quietly as possible. It’s very hard but as long as he moves slowly he doesn’t have to worry too much.

  As scary as the dark is it keeps him hidden as he wriggles about. Maybe the dark isn’t all bad and scary. Maybe the dark can be nice too...

  He keeps on going until he hits a large wall. Just like the wall Obie had place him against, it’s made of metal. He’s spent so much time in labs with Dada that he can recognise this place as some kind of lab. Not a nice one like theirs, but still a lab. Where there’s a lab there’s tools. He just needs to find the right one.

  Keeping to the edge of the wall, he wriggles along in search. It’s not long before he finds a tool kit resting by the wall. Dada had taught him all about each of the tools and how to use them. Most of them are useless now but there’s one he could use….

  He sits up and turns around so his hands can reach into the box. His hands are tied behind his back so he can’t see inside the tool box but his hands can feel for what he wants. It’s harder than it looks but soon he’s managed to find a file amongst all of the other tools.

  As quietly as he can he moves the file so it can touch the plastic on his wrists. It’s very tricky and hurts but it just about manages to reach the cloth. He quickly works to wear away the plastic but it takes longer than he thought it would. A very long time.

  Just as he’s finishing breaking through the plastic there’s a loud rumble and the sound of a machine turning on. He doesn’t want to wait to find out what it is so starts wearing away the plastic on his legs and unties the cloth around his mouth. The rings of plastic are still tied to his wrists and ankles but he can actually move now. 

  Before he can even start thinking about running away there’s a loud bang back the way he and Obie came in. After the bang has died down lots of footsteps start entering the room. People are breaking into the room.

  He can’t tell whether they want to help him or hurt him so he shuffles under the nearby table. In his hand he clutches a big heavy hammer. It’s hard to lift up properly but he holds it close nonetheless. If it’s heavy then it’ll make a good weapon. Something to help protect him. 

  “Looks like you were right, he was building a suit.” A soft man voice mumbles. It’s not a voice he recognises so he stays quiet.

  “I thought it would be bigger.” A voice that sounds like Pepper responds. Pepper! Pepper won’t hurt him or Dada. If he can just get to her without anyone else seeing him he will be okay. 

  Although he wants to run out and shout to her, he never heard the door open before. That means Obie must still be in here somewhere with him. With them. If he finds Peter before Pepper does then he’s going to hurt him. For now he’s safest if he stays quiet.

  The footsteps start spreading out and getting closer. The only other sound is the rattling of chains. For some reason the sound makes him shiver and curl up even tighter in a ball underneath the table.

  Suddenly the rattling stops completely. A strange silence fills the room. Silence is never good. Silence is always scary.

  Cautiously he creeps out from under the table just as Pepper screams. Everyone suddenly jumps into action, pulling out their guns and firing in every direction. Peter is forced to cover his ears with his head as bullets bounce around and light up the darkness.

  The light reveals a huge towering gray suit looming over them all. It looks a bit like Dada’s suit but bigger and scarier. Instead of looking nice it looks like a big weapon. Something made only to hurt people. 

  It’s currently chasing Pepper, completely ignoring the people shooting at it. As Pepper runs in his direction, the big gray suit runs after her. Both are barreling towards him not even realising he’s there. 

  One bullet tears right past him, almost hitting his arm. He curls up to try and make himself as small as possible but that doesn’t make him any less scared. Instead it makes him more scared. 

  He needs to do something to help Pepper. He didn’t help Dada but he can help Pepper. He can do something. 

  After taking a deep breath he stands up again. The hammer shakes in his hand but he holds it tighter. It will protect him.

  He goes straight over to the door ahead of him and Pepper and pushes it open with all his might. It’s very heavy and he can only open it a little way. 

  “Peter?!” Pepper yells as she sees him. She doesn’t hesitate to help him push open the door as far as possible. It’s just about big enough for them to squirm through as they slam the door behind them, locking Obie on the other side.

  “Oh my god, Peter! Are you okay?” She bends down and puts her hands on either side of his face. He doesn’t feel okay but he nods anyway.

  He might not be okay but he’s not alone.

 

~~~

 

  When Tony comes to he’s not alone. Rhodey is bent over him, turning him around to face the ceiling instead of the floor. Still only half conscious he grips onto Rhodey’s arm for support.

  “You okay?”

  “Where’s Peter?!” Tony gasps. 

  “What do you mean where’s Peter? I thought he was with you!” Panic starts to infiltrate Rhodey’s voice now. It certainly isn’t helping Tony’s own panic. 

  “Obadiah took him.”

  “Jesus christ Tony.” Rhodey runs his hands over his head.

  “I need to warn Pepper.” Tony had sent her out there right into Obadiah’s clutches. She’d refused at first but he’d pushed her and now she might die. He could lose both of them in one night.

  “She knows, she’s about to seize Obadiah with the help of five agents.” Dread builds up in his chest.

  “That’s not going to be enough…” 

  Despite Rhodey’s protests that he’s not strong enough, he wastes no time getting into his suit. Rhodey isn’t completely wrong, he is too weak, but that’s not going to stop him. Both Peter and Pepper could die if he doesn’t. It doesn’t matter if his visions still blurry or if his legs won’t stop shaking. He’s got to do whatever it takes to bring both of them back alive. 

  As soon as he’s up in the air he starts running calculations. If he’s correct then Obadiah will have taken Peter straight to the SI headquarters and labs. The same place Rhodey told him that Pepper and the agents are going right now.

  “How do you think the mark one chest piece is going to hold up?”

  “The suit is at 48% power and falling, sir. That chest piece was never designed for sustained flight.” It’s nothing he didn’t already know but it’s not good news. Both him and the suit are running on empty and they’re going to fight Obie and his suit at full power.

  “Keep me posted.” He mumbles, “Call Pepper.” The phone rings twice before she picks up.

  “Pepper?”

  “Tony! Tony, are you okay?” She’s speaking so fast she stumbles over her words. There’s no disguising the panic in her voice.

  “I’m fine.” He tries to interrupt and reassure her but she just keeps talking.

  “Peter told me what happened. I was so worried. I thought you’d died!” 

  “Peter?! He’s with you?” He asks hopefully. 

  “Yeah, he found me when we were being attacked.” Relief overwhelms him. Peter’s okay. He’s okay. Both him and Pepper are alive for now - he just needs to keep them that way.

  “Thank god. You need to keep him safe.” 

  “I think we’re okay now. Obadiah - he’s gone insane!” Pepper shouts through the phone. 

  “I know, listen. You need to both get out of there and go as far away as you can.” Tony speaks over her. They need to both get out as soon as possible or Tony will never make it to them in time.

  On the other side of the phone is a loud thundering noise. Pepper suddenly goes quiet before the phone line goes dead entirely.

  “Fuck!” He hisses and turns up the thrusters. That can only mean one thing and it isn’t good. Stronger thrusters will drain his power quicker but it’s a risk he’s willing to take. 

  Clearly it’s the right choice because just as he gets in view he can see Peter lung at Obadiah’s armour with a hammer. He smashes it as hard as he can into the suits arm which is reaching towards Pepper. Although it stops Obadiah for a second the shock quickly wears off and he round on Peter. The huge guns Obadiah has added to his own suit all point directly at the small child holding the hammer. 

 Tony speeds up even further, launching himself at Obadiah. He collides with the huge gray suit just seconds before the bullets bury themselves in Peter. Both him and Obadiah go smashing through the floor into the lab underneath then out that wall into the freeway.

  Cars are racing along the road as they roll out. One car smashes into Obadiah, driving over him and flipping in midair only to land on it’s roof. Other cars all suddenly stop, crashing into one another as they desperately hit the brakes. It only gets worse as Obadiah reaches out and grabs a car from the road and holds it above his head. Inside, the people scream and scramble to get out to no avail.

  “I love this suit.”

  “Put them down.”

  “Collateral damage, Tony.”

  “Revert power to chest RT.” Tony mutters so only J.A.R.V.I.S can hear.

  Power vibrates through his suit as the energy all flows into one spot. His reactor gets warmer as the power builds up there preparing to strike. As soon as all the power as gathered he shoots it out in a shock wave that blasts even Obadiah’s heavy suit out of the way.

  The car he was holding starts to fall so Tony moves forward and catches it before it can make contact with the ground everyone inside is screaming as he tries to maintain stability. However, instead of waiting for him to lower them down and move out of the way they begin revving their engine, mowing him down in the process. He has to cling onto the bumper for dear life as they drag him across the tarmac, tearing the suit apart.

  The incident gives Obadiah time to catch up and start attacking before Tony has recovered. He continues launching vehicles and debris at Tony, not even using the millions of dollars worth of technology in the suit. 

  Tony is smashed against buses, the floor and even crushed under Obadiah’s suit’s foot as they fight. In his condition he’s far from winning. There’s nothing he can do to counter the other man’s suit and weapons. The mark II armour was never designed for proper battles, not like this.

  It’s not until he’s launched into the air that he starts thinking he might have an advantage. Even then he’s surprised to learn that the bulky metal suit has also been upgraded for flight.

  Both of them soar into the sky against the clock. Now the suit is only at 15% power and the flight will no doubt drain that power even faster. If he’s going to beat Obadiah he’s going to have to do it fast before the suit fully dies. 

  A single idea comes to mind. If he can just get high enough for frosting to come into play then he might stand a chance. While Tony has already altered his suit to accommodate higher altitudes he’s willing to bet that Obadiah hasn’t. This is his first time flying one, how would he even know the frosting was an issue?

  Power is down to around seven percent as Obadiah grabs ahold of Tony’s leg. He yanks the suit down towards him as both of them soar up even higher.

  Frost is already building up on both suits. Just a little further to go now. Just a little bit higher...

  “You had a great idea Tony but my suit is more advanced in every way.” Both of them start to slow down as the ice takes over Obadiah’s suit. 

  “Oh yeah? How did you solve the icing problem?” Tony mutters smugly, “You might want to look into it.” He smashes his fist down on the frosted over helmet, sending it falling to the ground.

  That’s one thing Obadiah never learnt. Unlike Tony he’s never actually created something. Sure, he could steal Tony’s blueprints and make a weaponized copy but there’s some things you can’t learn without experiencing yourself. Things trials and experience can teach you but stolen blueprints can’t.

  Before Tony has a chance to back in his victory, J.A.R.V.I.S voice speaks in his ear.

  “2%” Well fuck. 

  He turns off the thrusters for a second before turning them on again. Slowly lowering himself to the ground using the least amount of power as possible. Even then it’s still too much as he’s forced to start using emergency backup power. The power just about carries him through to the roof where he clatters pathetically like a ragdoll. 

  “Potts.”

  “Tony? Oh my god, are you okay?”

  “I'm almost out of power. I need to get out of this thing.” He quickly starts tearing off the pieces of the armour. The discarded chunks are thrown to one side in his haste, “I’ll be right there.”

  Behind him a shadow rises, Obadiah’s suit still looming despite the beating. It's in fairly good shape considering what it went through. More than can be said for Tony's suit. 

  Although he dodges the first punch, his repulsor on his left hand has been removed leaving him defenceless. The second punch hits him across the roof - pain flaring up again. Does this guy never give up? 

  It's clear Obadiah's suit really is superior. Even when Tony does land a punch it does nothing against the thick, bulky exterior. Tony is left to Obadiah's mercy as he squeezes the life out of him.

  There aren't many weapons on the suit - only missiles and repulsor - but both are offline. All the beatings earlier really didn't help the state of things. With every second that passes doom seems more inevitable. 

  He's forced to use flares to blind Obadiah just to slip out of the man's clutches. It buys him enough time to hide behind the metal ventilation but it's not going to keep him hidden forever. If he wants to live he needs to make these seconds count. 

  “Potts.” He whispers over the phone to Pepper. Any louder and there's no doubt Obadiah will overhear him and tear him to shreds. 

  “Tony!” 

  “This isn't working, we're going to have to overload the reactor and blast the roof.”

  “Well how are you going to do that?” 

  “You're going to do it.” She might not be the tech savvy engineer that Tony is but she's the next best thing. If anyone is able to it's going to be Pepper Potts. There's no one he would trust more with his life. He quickly explains the process, praying that she is able to remember it all even after only hearing it once. 

  “Okay...I'm going in now.”

  “Make sure you wait until I clear the roof. I'll buy you some time.”

  Before Obadiah reaches his hiding spot he slips around the back and jumps onto his back. Obadiah tries to shake him off but the suit clings to the other armour stubbornly. With on hand he reaches into the neck of the suit and starts fishing around for anything interesting. 

  “This looks important.” He yanks out a large cable right on the back of the neck. Sure enough the targeting system on the suit instantly shuts down 

  Without sight or targeting Obadiah flails around in search of Tony. However the increased desperation makes him spin and turn more quickly in the suit, making Tony lose balance. Obadiah is able to reach behind him and grab onto Tony, flinging him across the roof onto the glass section above the arc reactor. 

  Beneath him he can see Pepper and Peter working. Pepper is flicking all the dials as Peter watches Tony nervously. There are tears in his eyes as he watches on, unable to tear his eyes away from Tony. 

  All of a sudden, the other suit opens to reveal Obadiah sat, inside. 

  “I never had a taste for this kind of thing, but I must admit, I'm deeply enjoying the suit Tony. ” Just to prove it he grabs Tony’s helmet and crushes it in his hand, “You finally outdid yourself Tony. You made your father proud.”

  How many times have people said that to him. Proud. Was the man even capable of feeling pride over Tony? Certainly never seemed that way. He spent years waiting for Howard to tell him he was proud and got nothing. If this is what it took to earn Howard's pride then he's glad he never did. He'd rather die a disappointment than go out like this. 

  “It's ready Tony, get off of the roof.” Pepper yells from below. But it's too late. There's no getting off now. Both him and Obadiah are trapped here now. 

  Obadiah's arm lifts up. There's a gun attached to the arm, the nuzzle pointed right at Tony. Without the targeting systems the bullets just shatter the glass room beneath him. Without anything under his feet he falls down towards the arc reactor and has to grab onto the metal beam for support.

  The glass rains down on Pepper and Peter below. She's forced to shield Peter with her back to save him from inevitable injures of the glass rain.

  “How ironic Tony. In trying to rid the world of weapons you gave it it's best one ever.”

  “Pepper.”

  “And now I'm going to kill you with it.” One of the missiles zips over his shoulder and smashes into the wall behind him. So does the next, “You ripped out my targeting systems.” He sighs but doesn't seem worried. 

  “Time to hit the button.” 

  “You told me not to.” She yells up at him desperately.

  “Hold still you little prick.” Obie readjusts his aim as he yells. Another missile soars just past him, knocking him off from his precarious position. Now he’s hanging off of one of the metal beams over the giant arc reactor. They’re running out of time. They have to act now.

  “Just do it!” They don’t have time to worry about Tony now. If they need to fire it while Tony is on the roof then that’s what they have to do. 

  “You'll die.”

  “Push it!” 

  “No! You promised me!” Peter yells louder than the both of them. 

  “I know.” He whispers to himself. “I know. But you’ve got to trust me.” He says aloud. 

  “You promise you’ll stay for always and forever this time? No pretending?” 

  “Awww, little Peter. He always was a weak boy. I used to think it was all from his mother but now I'm beginning to think otherwise. Maybe the Stark Iron isn't as strong as we once thought.” Obie chuckles and moves his aim down to Pepper and Peter instead of Tony. They really can;t afford to wait now. If they don’t then all three of them are dead.

  “Always and forever.” He whispers back calmly despite the situation. Him and Peter’s eyes meet for a second, long enough to see the tears in Peter’s eyes.

  Peter nods to Pepper, taking a step back. As soon as he's nodded Pepper slams her hand against the red button. A huge pillar of white light shoots straight up through the roof Tony is hanging from all the way up into the inky black sky. 

  The force of the shock wave pushes Tony up into the air and over onto the roof. He's mostly out of the range of the strike unlike Obadiah who gets the full brunt of the shock. 

  Tony watches the life drain out of his father figures eyes as he falls into darkness once again. 

 

  The very next morning they’ve got him up and dressed, ready for a press conference. All his injuries are covered up by the pristine suit and make up just like everything else. 

  There's a TV on the wall to his side showing the very press conference he’s about to go into. Like always, Rhodey is already up there, dealing with Tony’s mess. 

  It's not just him helping Tony out with time. A man named Coulson with the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division has prepared a whole stack of cards with the story they're feeding the press. A cover up story to hide the fact that the billionaire is now parading around as a superhero. 

  “Iron Man!” Peter points to the picture of him on the front cover of the newspaper. 

  “That’s right, although it's not actually accurate. The suit is made from gold titanium alloy - that's not quite as catchy though.”

  “Goal Titum Ally?” Peter frowns and stumbles over his words. 

  “Yeah, we’ll stick with iron man for now kiddo.” He chuckles and ruffles Peter’s curly hair. It's grown out now from when Ben and May cut it. Still not that close to length it was before but it's getting there. 

  “I like it.” Pepper mutters with a smile. 

  “Are you a superhero?”

  “You bet I am!” Tony chuckles, “I grab the baddies and hang them up for the tickle monster!” He grabs Peter by the legs and hangs him upside down. His shirt rides up exposing his belly for Tony to tickle. It's probably irresponsible to make Peter giggle so loudly when they're a door away from a room full of reporters but it's too cute to stop. Even Pepper must agree as. She doesn't intervene. 

  “You’ve got ninety seconds.” The man, Coulson interrupts. 

  “Oh, Agent Coulson! I just wanted to say thank you very much for all of your help with this conference and back there in the lab. If it wasn't for you guys Peter and I might never have gotten out of that lab.”

  “That's what we do,” Coulson smiles softly, “You’ll be hearing from us.”

  “From the Strategic Homeland -” 

  “Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D.” Coulson interrupts before leaving. 

  “Okay, let's get this show on the road.” Pepper mumbles as she grabs the suit jacket from the back of the chair. 

  “You know, it's not bad.” Tony gestures to the stack of cue cards. He'd read through them all as soon as Agent Coulson gave them to him to get a feel for the story, “Even I don't think I'm Iron Man.”

  “You’re not Iron Man.” She rolls her eyes as she helps him into the jacket. 

  “I am too. Aren't I, Pete?” Tony nods to Peter who's still giggling slightly over by Tony’s chair. 

  “Iron Man! He gets the baddies like Obie!” Peter throws his arms up in the air excitedly. 

  With his arms up, the sleeves start to fall down. They expose Peters bruised wrists where the plastic zip ties had once been. They'd been tied on so tightly it had been incredibly difficult to get scissors under the plastic without cutting Peters skin. Despite how close the blades were to his skin, he didn't complain on the slightest. Didn’t even wriggle. A far cry from the boy who used to start crying at the thought of cutting his hair. 

  “Whatever.” She rolls her eyes but she's smiling just like him and Peter. 

  “You know, if I was Iron Man, I would have a super sidekick called Sparky who helped me build all my suits. Not to mention a girlfriend who knew my true identity. She'd be a wreck - always worrying about both of us but would also be proud of the men we’d both become. She'd be wildly conflicted which would only make her more crazy about me.” He clears his throat before continuing, “Tell me you never think about that night.”

  “What night?” 

  “You know.”

  “The night when we danced and went up on the roof and then you went downstairs to get me and drink and left me there by myself. Is that the night you're talking about?”

  “Uh hum.” Tony hums noncommittally. He hadn't been thinking about it that way but he shouldn't be surprised that that's how she thinks of it. He had ditched her there after running into Christina. Hadn't even thought about her. 

  “Thought so.” She smirks and puts the pocket square into his breast pocket, “Will that be all Mr. Stark?” 

  “That will be all Miss. Potts.”

  “Good luck Dada!” Peter smiles as Tony starts to pull away. 

  “Thanks buddy. You stay with Pepper.” He smiles at both of them before turning and heading towards the podium. 

  “Uh...it's been a while since I've been up here in front of you all. Figured I'd stick to the cards this time.” That earns an easy laugh from the crowd, “There's been speculation that I was somehow involved in the events that occurred on the freeway and the rooftop.”

  “I'm sorry Mr Stark but do you really expect us to believe that was a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared despite the fact that -” The woman from the charity gala, Christine Everhart, raises her hand and interrupts him.

  “I know that it's confusing, but it is one thing to question the official story and another thing entirely to make wild accusations or insinuate that I am a superhero.” He answers a little too quickly, cutting over her.

  “I never said you were a superhero.” She smirks and leans back in heer chair.

  “Didn't you?” She shakes her head, “Well good because that would be outlandish and…uh… fantastic. I'm just not the hero type, clearly, with this laundry list of character defects and all the mistakes I've made - mostly public.”

  Rhodey steps forward impatiently to cut Tony’s rambling off. He turns and whispers in Tony's ear. 

  “Get back on track - you need to stick to the cues.”

  “Okay...okay.” He takes a deep breath, “The truth is…” He sighs

  What is the truth? He knows what it says on the cues. He knows what Pepper says and what Peter says but what is actually the truth? Is he Iron Man?

  As he turns his head to one side he can just about spot Peter peeking through the curtains. He's completely enthralled watching Tony stand up on stage. His eyes glitter hopefully as he states up at Tony. 

  He sets down the card. 

  “I am Iron Man.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I just wanna ask y'all a question about this chapter. I was very conflicted when uploading it. It got really big, much bigger than I'd expected. I probably should've seen the length coming but I'm an idiot. Anyway, I want to know whether you think I should start splitting chapters like this in two. It kinda messes up a bit of the plan (for chapter titles and the schedule) but none of that really matters. If you guys think I should cut down these long chapters then please let me know because 30,000 is nuts and way longer than it should really be. It's all up to you guys since you're the ones reading it (still surprised you are reading it).
> 
> On another note, my three year old cousin likes to tell everyone she's "big three" and it's honestly one of the most adorable things so I decided to include it here. It's so precious
> 
> I can't wait to finally start adding some of the avengers character in the next chapter - well one specifically. It feels long overdue.


	8. Then Only Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony tries to find a way to cure his palladium poisoning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for 300 kudos! I can't believe over 300 people are enjoying this.
> 
> It's another long one again as a heads up.

**The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.**

**\- F. Scott Fitzgerald**

 

~~~

 

  “Happy birthday Peter.”

  The candles on the cake blow out in one big breath. He’s definitely gotten better at blowing out the candles on the cake. There might only be four on the cake but it’s still impressive for him to be able to blow them all out. He used to struggle just blowing out one.

  “Yay!” He joins in all their clapping. 

  “I’ll cut the cake while you start opening presents.” Pepper goes and grabs a knife out of the holder. 

  Unlike before, they’ve actually brought all the presents into the kitchen with them. That way Tony can just set Peter down on the counter to open the presents while Pepper cuts the cake for them.

  “Which do you want to open first?” He asks Peter. After a few seconds of deliberation he grabs the presents for Pepper. Although he needs a little bit of help getting started, he rips the wrapping paper off on his own and a stack of books fall out onto the table.

  He’s just started actually reading on his own. It’s takes a long time and there are often words he doesn’t recognise but for a four year old it’s very impressive. With help from Pepper he’s been ploughing through all the books on his shelf, slowly running out of new content. 

  Rhodey and Happy’s presents end up being pretty similar, both of them getting him toy cars. While Rhodey gets him a box full of little cars, Happy goes all out buying a large car Peter can actually sit in. of course in the end, he prefers the box that the car comes in. Typical.

  Although Peggy isn’t there with them, she’s sent over of box of colouring things and a stack of notebooks. You’d think one notebook would be enough but somehow Peter gets through them with lightning speed. 

  As much as he loves the box of tools Tony gets him, his favorite is without a doubt May and Ben’s present. They’ve gotten him a little plastic Iron Man helmet. He doesn’t care that it’s cheap and will probably break pretty quickly, he loves it. He doesn’t stop wearing it for weeks. It’s an almost constant item of clothing. Only when it’s absolutely necessary does he dare remove it. He’s probably wearing the iron man helmet more than Tony himself does. 

  “Dada! Dada! Look what I made!” Peter runs over to him excitedly.

  It’s been a couple of almost four months since his birthday and fall is now drawing to a close. For almost a week he’s been working on his own secret project that he refuses to tell Tony about. Instead of sitting with Tony as they design suits together he’s been hiding away in his room with the tools Tony gave him for his birthday. Although Tony had been reluctant at first, J.A.R.V.I.S has been keeping an eye on him at all times to make sure he’s been being safe.

  “What is it?” Tony gets up off of his chair. Both of Peter’s arms are hidden behind his back suspiciously. As Tony crouches down he suddenly reveals them with a loud “Tadah!”

  “Do you like them?” He shoves both hands in Tony’s face.

  Once his eyes adjust he can see two red gloves on Peter’s hands. The fingers have been cut off messily so only the fabric on the palms and wrists remain. Right in the centre of the palm is a pale blue circle of light. A few wires can be seen trailing out of the glove from the wrist before disappearing up his jumper sleeve. It’s not the most professional and looks pretty scrappy but all things considered it’s amazing. More than amazing.  

  “Oh! Wait! I forgot to turn on the other one!” He fiddles with this sleeve for a second until a bright blue light starts shining through the material of his shirt. His own little arc reactor.

  “Wow! That’s amazing! Did you do that all by yourself?” He smiles proudly and ruffles Peter’s hair softly which makes him giggle.

  “Well J.A.R.V.I.S helped a little bit but I did most of it.” He mumbles and bites his bottom lip nervously. 

  “That’s amazing Pete. You’re a little genius.”

  “Can we play superheroes now!” He jumps up and down excitedly. 

  “I don’t see why not.” He smiles ever so slightly.

  “Yay!” Peter screeches, “You can be the baddie man and I’ll be Iron Man!” He grabs onto Tony’s arm and drags him over to the now empty space in the middle of the lab.

  Since he’d started making the suits the lab has undergone a lot of changes. The first things to go were the cars. It had been strange keeping them in the lab in the first place and they were only going to get damaged if they stayed there.

  Next he got rid of a large majority of the work stations. There are still lots closer to the entrance but the majority are gone to leave a large empty space in the room. In the space he has installed lots of holographic projectors into the floor to allow the entire space to be used as one big hologram whenever he needs to while designing.  

  On the furthest wall he installed a special area to store all of his new upgraded suits. All of the storage units can open up to display them or close to seal them off from everything else. 

  “I need to grab my helmet!” He gushes as soon as they’ve gotten over to the space. It’s still on the worktop beside the door right back where they’ve just come from. He’d taken it off while he showed of his little homemade repulsors. 

  As he turns around to go and grab it Tony starts getting into character.

  “Oh dear Iron Man, while you’re busy getting your suit on I’ve captured a whole bus full of little children as they go to school!” He cackles evilly. As he does so he reaches over and grabs a cardboard box full of Peter’s teddies. He even spots ‘Abbit on the worktop and puts him in the box too. 

  “No! Not yet!” He shouts excitedly and starts running even faster.

  “What’s that? Feed the children to my evil pack of lions?” He smirks and starts moving over to DUM-E, Butterfingers and U. 

  “I’ll save them all!” He squeals and grabs a hold of the helmet. He’s so excited that he starts fumbling with the helmet as he attempts to put it on. It ends up actually taking him longer to put on than it normally would.

  Before Peter can return he grabs a random teddy from the box and hands it to Butterfingers who holds onto it as gently as possible. His grasp on it is even more tentative than the other two bots, nervous that he’s going to break it in someway. Onces he’s convinced he’s not going to hurt it he begins shaking it curiously.

  “Mwahaha! No one is going to save these kids. I’m going to feed them all to the lions and there’s not a single person that can help them.” Tony cackles and goes to grab another toy.

  “Hold it there!” Peter shouts fiercely. One of his arms is raised to point at Tony, the repulsor light shining brightly. Although his face is obscured by the mask he can imagine the tough, menacing glare that Peter’s trying to put on right now.

  “Why should I stop?” Tony smirks smugly and dangles the teddy over U in one hand and dangles the box with the teddies in the other hand.

  “Because if you don’t I’m going to beat you up and lock you in a big scary prison!” Peter stands up taller and takes a step closer.

  “Are you supposed to be some kind of superhero?” He loosens his hold on the teddy so it moves even closer to U’s waiting claw.

  “I’m the bestest superhero: Iron Man! I lock up all the big baddies and save all the little girls and boys!” Peter announces confidently and proudly. 

  Is that how Peter sees him? That’s what he imagines when he thinks about Tony and Iron Man. They’ve never really talked about Iron Man. Not properly. He’s never imagined Peter thinking in that way. Not about Tony. He doesn’t deserve that kind of idolisation.

  “Iron Man can’t do anything to stop me!” 

  “Iron Man always wins.” Peter says determinedly and trains the repulsor on Tony. Before Tony can act, he makes an adorable little zapping noise. Instantly Tony lets go of the teddy he was dangling over U and falls down to the ground with a moan. 

  U grabs a hold of teddy but instantly freaks out. With Peter running straight towards him he gets nervous and throws the teddy across the room. As the teddy goes flying, Butterfingers looks up and watches. Unsure of what he’s supposed to be doing he mimics U and throws his teddy too. 

  With both teddies now on the other side of the room, Peter starts sprinting that way and leaves the box of teddies on the floor with Tony. Making the most of the time, Tony gets up and makes his way back over to the countertops that Peter has literally just come from. Peter is so wrapped up in recovering the thrown toys that he doesn’t even notice Tony is up until he speaks.

  “After all that I have managed to escape with the bus of children! Now I’ll put them somewhere even Iron Man can’t reach.” He lifts the box above his head. It’s not often that he gets to say that something above his head is out of reach but it’s something he makes the most of when he’s with Peter. 

  “There’s nowhere that Iron Man can’t reach.”

  Peter holds onto one teddy in each hand and runs over to the area where Tony is stood with the box. Even with both of his hands occupied, he pulls himself up onto one of the stools. From there he jumps onto the counter and begins running along it to Tony. The whole while he keeps his body in the same position that Tony does when he flies.

  This time he doesn’t move as Peter runs towards him. Although he lets Peter grab the box out of Tony’s hands and shove the other two toys inside, he hasn’t let Peter win quite yet. There’s still one more teddy unaccounted for.

  “You might have foiled my plans but you haven’t won quite yet, Iron Man.” He holds up ‘Abbit by the ears for Peter to see. 

  “Not ‘Abbit!” Peter gasps and sets the box down gently on the counter.

  “I’ll never let you get him.” Tony smirks cockily.

  “I’ll fly after you until you give him back.” Although he can’t see Peter’s face underneath the helmet he can imagine the intensely focused expression he must have right now. Somehow he always looks cutests when he’s attempting to look menacing - then again he always looks adorable. He gets annoyed when Tony says that but it’s true. He’s unfairly adorable. 

  “There’s no way you’ll be able to keep up with me.”

  They run around the lab, Peter jumping from stool to stool and counter to counter to keep up with Tony. He's surprisingly fast actually. Especially considering he's jumping across the work surfaces. Tony might be running slowly but he's still impressed when Peter manages to jump onto his back, grabbing 'Abbit out of his hand.

  One of his hands is wrapping itself around Tony's neck to keep him from falling and the other is holding onto' Abbit. His legs wrap around Tony's torso as well to get a better grip. 

  "I did it!" He giggles, "I've beaten you baddie!" 

  Carefully he tucks 'Abbit under his arm so his  repulsor can point up at Tony's face. 

  "Ahh, no! How did you beat me?" He cries out overdramatically. 

  "Because I'm the bestest superhero in the whole wide world." Peter grins proudly.

  Carefully, Tony bends down and let's Peter jump off onto the ground. As he let's go of Tony's neck, the shirt is displaced and pulled down. From this angle, Tony can look down and see the reactor buried in his chest. There are some strange black lines spreading out from the reactor that were never there before. Lines that definitely aren't supposed to be there… 

  "What are you doing?" Peter tries to peer down Tony's shirt but he quickly readjusts it to hide the reactor and the lines.

  "Nothing." He clears his throat and carefully lifts the helmet off of Peter’s head, "I think it's time for bed now."

  "No! We only just started playing!" Peter stomps his foot and glares.

  "I know but there's nothing I can do. We both need to rest." He explains patiently and Peters face starts to soften.

  Although he does get grouchy at times he's always been terrible at staying angry. His tantrums never seem to last very long which is lucky as Tony has no idea how you deal with that. He's never been the most patient person.

  "Come on, Sparky." Tony gently guides Peter out of the room. . 

  Despite what he'd said to Peter about needing rest, he heads down to the lab again once Peter is sleeping. In all honesty, he'd rather be back in bed, but he can't rest without running some tests first. 

  "J, you still awake?" 

  "Always." He answers diligently. 

  "Can you do a full body scan of me?" He sits down in one of the spinning chairs and rolls over to one of the control panels. 

  "May I ask what your scanning for, sir?" 

  "Signs of palladium in the bloodstream." He cautiously takes off his shirt so he can look at the reflection of the reactor. Looking closely he can clearly see the dark lines trailing out from the reactor. They're very linear, almost look a kind of maze across his skin. It's only just starting to poke out from the reactor but it's incredibly clear. 

  "I'm scanning now."

  He really hopes J.A.R.V.I.S finds nothing. That he's just over thinking things. When he'd first put on the reactor he'd known the risks. What palladium does to you when it gets in your bloodstream. Still he'd hoped that the reactor would be enough to keep it contained. 

  After a few seconds there's a beep as J.A.R.V.I.S finishes his scan. Instead of saying anything to signal the end of the scan he stays completely silent. 

  "J? What's up?" Tony's heart starts beating faster. There's only one reason J.A.R.V.I.S would be staying quiet… 

  "I'm afraid to say the palladium is slowly entering your bloodstream. You're already at 6% toxicity." JARVIS' somber voice travels through the lab. 

  "How long do I have left?" He clears his throat and bites down on his lip. 

  "If you don't exacerbate your condition I would say a year, maybe more."

  One year. 

  One? 

  That's not enough. At that point Peter will be five. Not even enough to see him finish his first year of school. It's nothing. Nothing at all. 

  He's on a count down and the penalty is his life. 

  The first thing he does is start planning a Stark Expo. Ever since he took over the company he's not done the Expo's, but this year will be different. It's probably not the first thing someone would think of him doing but it's the one thing that makes sense. His way of giving back. Making the future slightly brighter. He’d promised he wouldn’t waste this second chance so he’s got to make the most of what little time is left.

  In the past the Expo has always been about innovation. Unifying all the brilliant amazing innovations under one roof. A way to encourage progress and support developing idea. Building a better future for them. For Peter. 

  Of course Pepper and the company don't understand that. They don't tell him to stop but they also don't understand. Can't see the bigger picture. Even when he finally opens it months later they don't understand. 

  Despite J.A.R.V.I.S' calculations he's already at 19% when the Expo first opens. It's going up too fast. J.A.R.V.I.S had mentioned exacerbating the conditions. As much as he tries to put it to the side, it's always there on the edge of his mind. Even when he's drunk. 

  There’s too much to do and too little time to do it. He's got to spend time with Peter, find a solution, figure out what to do with all his stuff if he doesn't find a solution, run the company, design products and make a difference to the world. It doesn't help that the government keep adding their own things I to his list of stuff to do.

  Even as he's leaving the Expo on the first day they corner him. This time in the form of a pretty young woman. She tries to hand him a letter calling him for a meeting at the Senate. 

  "I don't like being handed things." He tells her and waves her off to one side. Even the thought of her getting close enough to touch him puts him on edge. Every time someone touches him he can feel Obadiah's hands grabbing onto him and he took the Arc Reactor. There are only a select few trusted people who he can even touch comfortably now without him feeling the need to guard his reactor. 

  In the end he does end up heading to the senate but it's a pointless meeting. Just a bunch of grumpy men clamouring for his suit. Trying every method to take it from him. But they never will. Not after Obadiah. None of them can be trusted with one of these suits. Tony isn't going to be responsible for any more innocent deaths. 

  It's almost funny how easy it is to discredit all of their words. Especially since it involves videos of Hammer completely bombing his prototype. No matter how hard they tried, Tony still ends up going home with his suits that day. 

  As the days go on a cure starts looking less and less likely. J.A.R.V.I.S does manage to develop a dark green gloopy liquid which can slow down the process but nothing to stop it entirely and no replacement core. 

  “How many ounces a day of this gobbledegook am I supposed to drink?” He swirls the dark green liquid around in his glass. 

  “We are up to 80 ounces a day to counteract the symptoms, sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S mutters worriedly.  

  “Check palladium levels.” He mumbles as he pulls out his toxicity reader and sets it on the counter in front of him. Part of him doesn’t want to check. Doesn’t want to have to see how close he’s getting but a larger part needs to know. Need to be certain that this is really happening. Needs to be reminded how much time he has left with this little family of his.

  Thankfully the alcohol is suppressing the tremours in his hand as he rests his thumb against the pad. After a short sharp stab into the thumb, the display changes to read 24%. As he pulls his thumb away he can see the small bead of blood resting on the surface of the skin where he was pricked. 

  “Blood toxicity, 24%.” J.A.R.V.I.S says somberly, “It appears the continued use of the Iron Man suit is accelerating your condition.”

  They’ve had this conversation a million times before once Peter has gone to sleep. Despite Tony’s answer being the same every time he doesn’t stop asking him to stop using the suit. It’s as if he thinks Tony will have finally changed his mind but that never happens. Although he’ll never outright stop him, he expresses his disapproval less than subtly. 

  “Another core has been depleted.” He’s not surprised to hear that. Even now he can practically feel it rotting inside him. Rusting up and leaching out poison into his bloodstream. It’s damn uncomfortable but it’s become strangely familiar now. 

  He reaches down to his chest and carefully removes the reactor from it’s setting.  Once it’s fully out the palladium core is ejected from the reactor followed by a cloud of gas.

  “God they’re running out quick.” He mumbles, looking down at the rusty sheet of palladium that was once keeping him alive. Looking at it now you’d never realise it was once a silvery metal. There’s a smoky gas emanating from the rusty metal that is now several times thinner and narrower than it was when he placed it in the reactor.

  Not wanting to keep the reactor out for too long, he opens the wooden box in front of him and grabs a new palladium core. The box, which contains around six cores, once would’ve lasted years but it’s getting lower and lower with every passing day. Now it only lasts a couple of weeks. Soon he’ll be changing the core multiple times a day.

  It slots easily into the arc reactor with a click. Once it’s securely attached he places the reactor back in his chest. It’s uncomfortable for a few seconds as it always is but it quickly starts feeling better. Even though it feels much more comfortable now, that won’t last long. As soon as the core begins deteriorating and leaking into his blood the pain will return. 

  “I have run simulations on every known element, and none can serve as a viable replacement for the palladium core. You are running out of both time and options. Unfortunately the device that’s keeping you alive is also killing you.” 

   _Ironic_ , he thinks to himself.  He survived a bomb, open heart surgery in a cave, waterboarding, Afghanistan, falling in his Iron Man suit, Obadiah and even the arc reactor overload only to be killed now. By his own creation. Every other time there was something he could build or create or do to get him out of the situation but not now.

  He’d always known he was going to kill himself, one way or another, but not now and not like this. With the way he’s been exacerbating the  situation he’s not even going to get to see Peter’s first day at school, let alone his graduation. Was never going to tease him about his stupid high school crushes. Never going to be able to help him with his science fair project or teach him how to run the company. He’g hoped he’d be able to be a better father than Howard but in the end he’s missing all the same things and there’s nothing he can do about it. 

  “Miss. Potts is approaching. I recommend you inform her -”

  “Mute.” Tony calls out before Pepper can open the lab door. There’s no telling what J.A.R.V.I.S would try to tell her. As respectful as he usually is of Tony’s decisions he’s still got a will of his own. A will that is currently against Tony’s.

  He grabs the glass and downs the rest of the drink in the cup. It burns the back of his throat and makes him want to throw up but it’s better to not have Pepper asking questions. They wouldn’t be questions he’s able to answer. Not honestly anyway.

  “Is this a joke?” Pepper storms over to the desk, “What are you thinking?”

  “What?” There’s no point in even trying to guess what she’s annoyed about this time. Any guess he’d make would be wrong and just alert her to something else he screwed up. Safer to figure out the exact thing that’s upsetting her before trying to respond.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “Hey, I’m thinking I’m busy. And you’re angry about something.” He jumps out of his chair and starts trying to busy himself. Maybe she’ll just leave him alone if he looks busy enough.

  As she gets closer he starts noticing her cheeks are redder than usual. There’s also a slight rasp to her voice. Of course she would come in when she’s sick. When hasn’t she? No matter how many sick days he gives her, she keeps coming in. 

  “Do you have the sniffles? I don’t wanna get sick.” With his body already compromised any small sickness could be disastrous. There are so few days left as it is, he doesn’t want to sacrifice a single one of them. Not to a freaking cold.

  Despite that she still keeps coming towards him. He has to keep walking to put space between them both. In an attempt to make his retreat look casual he begins fiddling with the holograms floating in the middle of the room. 

  “Did you just donate our entire modern art collection to the -”

  “Boy scouts of America.” He finished her sentence for her. All the things he’s done and that’s what she’s annoyed about? He hadn’t thought she’d even care.

  “They’re a worthwhile organisation. I didn’t physically check the crates but, basically, yes. And it’s not our collection, it’s my collection. No offence.” But both of them know it’s her’s. Sure it was put in his name and bought with his money but she collected it. It’s been her thing since he first hired her. 

  “No, you know what, I think I’m actually entitled to say ‘our’ collection considering the time I put in curating that.”

  “It was a tax write-off. I needed that.” He lies flippantly. It’s not like he can go over to her and say _oh yeah, I decided to sell all those because I’m gonna die pretty soon so won’t be needing them anymore_.

  “You know there’s only about 8,011 things I really need to talk to you about.” She grumbles and follows him around the lab.

  “Butterfingers. Hey, stop spacing out. The bridgeports are already machining that part.”He taps on Butterfingers who’s trying to busy himself. 

  As much as he wants to help Tony can’t exactly let him run anything like he can with DUM-E and U. At least not anything breakable which is a lot of things. While there are things for him to do, they’re never the ones he wants to do.

  “The Expo is a gigantic waste of time.” She coughs, finally cutting to the point. It’s been fairly obvious that she’s been wanting to say it for a while. Not that he’s going to listen.

  “I need you to wear a surgical mask until you’re feeling better.” Despite his words, he can’t help but reach out to steady her as she wobbles on her feet. It’s instinctive. Stupid like all things he does but impossible to stop. “Is that okay?”

  “That’s rude.” She crossed her arms but he’s already moving again. Rude is better than sick and better than dead.

  “There is nothing more important to me than the Expo. It’s my primary point of concern.”

  “Oh really. Because I can think of a couple of things that are more important to you. You’re so wrapped up in the Expo and your suits that you’re not even considering how those _‘things’_ feel about all this.” She sighs and crosses her arms.

  “That’s all I’m thinking about. I’m doing this _for_ him. For his future.” Why can none of them understand that? 

  “No, you’re not. The Expo is just your ego gone crazy.”

  “Wow, look at that. That’s modern art. That’s going up.” He grabs a large Iron Man painting off of the floor. It’s been there for days ever since Happy brought it over but it’s just been sitting there. Right now it’ll make just the distraction he needs.

  “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.” She shakes her head. Her nose scrunches up as she starts at the painting. Of course she was going to hate it. 

  “I’m gonna put this up right now. This is vital.” 

  “Stark is in complete disarray. You understand that?” She storms after him, trying to force him to see reason.

  He’s surprised that she’s still bothering after all this time. Normally by this point people have just given up trying to make him listen. It’s clear he’s not listening to anything she says. There are so many more important things to consider right now other than the company.

  “No. Our stocks have never been higher.” Despite how little he cares about the company right now he is actually paying attention to some things.

  “Yes, from a managerial standpoint.”

  “Well if it’s messy let’s double back to it. Let move onto another subject” He doesn’t want to be arguing with her over something so trivial and boring right now.

  “No no no no no.” She shouts at him as he starts running over to the corner of the room. He jumps right up onto the counter, pushing things aside so he can stand up on it, “You are not taking down the Barnett Newman and hanging that up!” He assumes she’s referring to the ugly black line on a piece of paper he’s currently taking off of the wall. It’s not even nice but Pepper must’ve spent thousands on it. God knows why. 

  “I’m not taking it down, I’m just replacing it with this. Okay, let’s see what I can get going here.”

  “Okay, fine.” Just when he thought he’d managed to successfully change the topic she starts up the conversation all over again, “My point is, we have already awarded contracts to the wind farm people -”

  “Yeah. Don’t say ‘wind farm’. I’m already feeling gassy.”

  “And to the plastic plantation tree, which was your idea, by the way. Those people are on payroll -”

  Wind farms and the plastic plantation tree had been his little attempts at starting to make a difference. With the arc reactor technology moving towards creating clean energy, it made sense to start investing in other organisations in the business. Just like how they often used to work with other weapons manufacturers.

  “Everything was my idea.”

  “And you won’t make a decision.” She glares fiercely.

  “I don’t care about the liberal agenda anymore. It’s boring. Boring. I’m giving you a boring alert.” He jumps down from the counter to stand in front of her again, “You do it.”

 There’s no way his last days are going to be spent going over stuff like this. He’s never liked it and he’s never been very good at it. In truth, Pepper has already been dealing with all of this for years. 

  “I do what?” She looks less mad now. In fact she looks more frustrated and confused than angry. She always appears to be one of those three emotions when she’s around him.

  “Excellent idea. I just figured it out. You run the company.”

  He’d been thinking about it for a long time. There’s no way Peter was anywhere near being old enough to inherit the company, if he even wanted it in the first place. After what happened with Obadiah there’s no way he’s handing SI over to some ponce on the board. None of them can be trusted. There’s only one person on this planet skilled enough and trust worthy enough to inherit the company and that person is standing right in front of him. If he can trust her with his and Peter’s lives then he can trust her with the company.

  “Yeah, I’m trying to run the company.”

  “Well stop trying to do it and do it.” He speaks over her, trying to make her understand.

  “You will not give me the information -”

  “I’m not asking you to try to do it Im asking you to physically do it.” Finally having reached the end of his patience he shouts out over the top of her, drowning out her voice, “I’m trying to make you CEO. Why won’t you let me?”

  “Have you been drinking.” Ugh, he wishes. This would all be so much easier to handle if he had some alcohol in his system. Any kind would do. 

  “Chlorophyll.”

  Both of them stand in complete silence for a beat. Her eyes are narrowed suspiciously with her mouth slightly open in shock. He’s actually sad she would doubt him this much. That him giving her the company has shocked her like this. Of course it would be a surprise but did she really not think he valued her this much?

  “I hereby irrevocably appoint you chairman and CEO of Stark Industries, effective immediately.” He says as calmly and confidently as possible. For once there’s no need to fake any confidence, “Yeah, done deal. Okay?”

  Turns out ‘effective immediately’ isn’t as immediate as he thought. Although he’d looked into the legal issues a lot, there was still tons more to be done. As usual Pepper handles most of it. If he hadn’t been certain about his decision before, now he certainly is. She always has handled this CEO, business stuff much better than him. Tony is able to kick back and relax while she sorts out the logistics and paperwork.

  In the end he takes kicking a little more seriously than the relaxing. With his Iron Man suits now in play him and Happy have been working on his hand to hand combat. What’s the point of having a superhero suit when you can’t throw a good punch? Sure, Peggy had trained him growing up but that was decades ago. Not exactly of a high skill level. 

  No one likes the sessions more than Peter. Although he never gets into the ring he’s more than happy to sit on the sidelines and watch. Normally he wears his Iron Man helmet as he watches although this time he doesn’t. Instead he has ‘Abbit at his side as he doodles in his sketchbook on the floor.

  As they’re boxing down in the training room, Pepper comes down. She’d had an appointment scheduled to get some more paperwork done today so they’d thought they’d be alone. Apparently they thought wrong. 

  “The notary is here! Can you please come sign the transfer paperwork?” She sighs and strolls into the room.

  She’s actually been much more cheerful since Tony appointed her CEO. Turns out a promotion is all she needed. Now she’ll be doing the same job she did before but will actually be getting credit for all of it. No wonder she’s happier.

  “I’m on Happy time.”

  They keep exchanging punches for a little longer, not showing any signs of stopping. Pepper stays quiet as she makes her way over to one of the plush chairs on the other side of the room by the window. They all know that no amount of rushing from her will make any difference.

  They only stop when Tony lashes out and hits Happy right in the face. It’s one of the few places he isn’t completely bundled up in protective gear. He reels back unstably and glares daggers at Tony. While he continues to bounce on the balls of his feet, Happy drops his guard and storms over to him. 

  “What was that?” He hisses.

  “It’s called mixed martial arts. It’s been around for three weeks.”

  “It’s called dirty boxing and there’s nothing new about it.” Happy scowls and crosses his arms. 

  “Alright, put them up. Come on.” He sighs. It’s always a nightmare getting Happy out of these little tantrums. Sometimes their work will stop for the whole day as a result of it.

  Surprisingly this time he actually does raise his arms again, but his focus is definitely not on fighting Tony. In fact, he’s not even looking at Tony. Instead he’s staring at a stunning red headed woman who’s standing in the doorway of the room. She’s dressed up in a tight fitting white shirt and black skirt.

  There’s an air about her that he can’t quite describe. It’s too subtle for most people to pick up on but Tony’s been trained at reading people and the room since birth. No detail is too small. The best way to describe it is as confidence but a different kind to Tony and even Pepper. It reminds him of Peggy more than anything else. Not cocky and reckless but a calculated confidence. The kind that lets you know they’re in control of the room. It’s a million times more intriguing than her pretty face. 

  Both him and the woman stare at one another for a second. He gets the feeling she’s studying him just as much as he’s studying her. Both of them reaching out to get a feel for one another. 

  “I promise you this is the only time I’ll ask you to sign over your company.” Pepper grumbles, breaking the spell.

  The woman tears her eyes away and walks right over to Pepper with her files and clipboard. While she’s chatting to Pepper he keeps both eyes on her. In the distance he can hear Happy talking to him but he just ignores him. Right now there are more interesting things than their little match. It’s only when Happy punches him lightly on the back of the head that he turns around and looks.

  “Lesson one. Never take your eyes off your opponent.”

  Before he can even finish his sentence, Tony raises his leg and kicks Happy right in the stomach. He goes flying backwards into the ropes and stumbles on uneven footing. 

  As Tony stands up and looks around he notices the woman watching Peter. She’s waving slightly as she smiles softly. It’s strangely sweet to see such a gentle, genuine gesture. He wants to jump in and intervene but Peter’s waving shyly back. It’s not often that he gets to interact with new people but it’s adorable every time he does.

  He’d forgotten Peter was even in here since he’d been so quiet. Clearly so had Pepper and Happy judging by the looks on their faces.

  “Hey there.” She says with a warm smile.

  “Hey.” Peter bites his lip and shuffles over to her slowly.

  “What’s your name?” She mutters quietly.

  “Peter Parker. What’s your name?”

  “I’m Natalie Rushman.” She holds her hand out for him to shake. He looks over at Tony, waiting for his approval before he takes her hand. 

  “He’s my nephew. I often look after him and bring him here when they have no one else to take care of him.” Pepper swiftly explains. Although Natalie nods like she believes them he’s not certain that she does. There’s something in the calculating way she is looking between him and Peter.

  “Hey, Natalie, come here. Front and centre.” He points to the ring in front of him. 

  “No. You’re not seriously gonna ask…” Pepper sighs, looking away from the paperwork Natalie had handed her to chide Tony. Never misses the opportunity. 

  “If it pleases the court, which it does.”

  “It’s no problem.” Natalie sighs sweetly and begins walking over to the ring. Peter follows behind her cautiously, keeping a fair distance between the two of them. 

  “I’m sorry. He’s very eccentric.” Pepper calls out but she seems to care more that Natalie. In fact, Natalie almost looks happy about the situation. More so than almost any other person he’s met before - one of the exceptions being Peggy Carter herself. 

  Him and Natalie swap out of the ring quickly as she prepares to go up against Happy. As soon as he’s out of the ring Peter sticks to his side. It’s probably very suspicious behaviour but he doesn’t have the heart to put space between him and Peter. Thankfully he doesn’t follow Tony as Tony goes over to Pepper. Instead he sits down on the sidelines to watch the new fight. 

  “Who is she?” Tony mutters to Pepper as he sits down beside her on the chair.

  “She is from legal and is potentially a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit if you keep ogling her like that.” 

  “I need a new assistant, boss.”

  “Yes, and I’ve got three excellent potential candidates. They’re lined up and ready to meet you.” Pepper mumbles as she shuffles through the papers to find the ones she needs Tony to fill out.

  He’s already seen the files for all three and knows none of them are going to work out. They’re great assistants and all but they’re just like every other assistant. Just getting Pepper had been a lucky find but the chances of finding someone good enough to replace her would be even harder. However just like last time, a perfect candidate seems to have simplys strolled right into the mansion. 

  “I don’t have time to meet. I need someone now. I feel like it’s her.” 

  “No, it’s not.” Pepper finally looks up from the paperwork just to roll her eyes at him. 

  As he watches her chatting about boxing with Happy he becomes more and more certain that she’s the one he wants. There’s something more. He’s not listening to what they’re saying but it’s clear Happy is completely overlooking whatever it is.

  “How do you spell your name, Natalie?” He shouts out across the room.

  “R-u-s-h-m-a-n.” As she speaks he types the letters into his tablet, scanning all of the databases he has access to for one Natalie Rushman.

  “What are you going to google her now?” Pepper peers over his shoulder at the screen.

  “I thought I was ogling her.” He mutters as he flicks through all the files, “Wow. Very, very impressive individual.”

  “You’re so predictable, you know that?” He knows she thinks he’s just choosing her for her body but he can’t be bothered to correct her. 

  “She’s fluent in French, Italian, Russian, Latin. Who speaks Latin?” Tony frowns. All the schools he’d gone to had forced them to learn Latin but that was for rich snobby kids, not your average person. Basically no one else knows Latin anymore. 

  “No one speaks Latin. It’s a dead language.” Pepper mutters bitterly. For once the paperwork is forgotten in favour of her watching Natalie. 

  “I need her. She’s got everything I need.” He’s got the same reckless certainty about her as he did Pepper. That’s got to be a good sign right? Besides, she’s met Peter now anyway so that’s one less thing to worry about. They seem to get on alright. 

  Just as he looks up, Natalie turns around to look at him. Happy takes the most of the opportunity to try and win back some of his pride that he lost while fighting Tony earlier.

  “Rule number one, never take your eyes off of your opponent.” He mutters smugly and goes to punch her. But the hit never lands.

  In seconds she’s grabbing a hold of his wrist and twisting it around. At the same moment her entire body twists round in the air so her legs can latch around his neck. Before TOny can even blink she’s got him pinned down on the ground using only her legs to force his body down to the ground. It might not be boxing but he loves it. He’d love to learn that move but has a feeling it wouldn’t be quite as effective if he did it.

  “Oh my god!” Pepper jumps up from her spot instantly, “Happy!”

  However Peter and Tony instantly start clapping. Peter even jumps up off of the floor and runs into the ring with her. Seeing him approaching she lets go of Happy. Although she offers Happy a hand up, he just bats it away and gets up on his own. 

  “How did you do that!” Peter shouts out excitedly once he’s in the ring.

  “That’s a secret.” She winks and crouches down, beckoning Peter closer, “If I ever see you again I’ll make sure to show you.” She whispers into his ear with a smirk.

  “That’s what I’m talking about.” Tony smirks and steps closer to the ring.

  “I just slipped.” Happy grumbles as he attempts to get up off of the ground.

  “You did?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Looks like a TKO to me. Wouldn’t you agree, Pete?” 

  “100%!”

  “You wanna ring the bell?” He gestures to the large boxing bell he’s now stood in front of. Not wasting a second, Peter slides out of the ring and runs over to the bell. It’s his favourite part of all of the matches. Kid likes loud noises apparently.

  “Just...I need your impression.” She mutters as she gets out of the ring beside Tony and Peter. She carefully puts her shoes on as she looks between the two of them.

  “You have a quiet reserve. I don’t know, you have an old soul.” 

  “You’re cool!” Peter shouts out his own impression excitedly.

  “You’re cool.” Tony adds it to his own little list.

  “I meant your fingerprint.” She smirks slightly and picks up her file from where she left it to the side. 

  “Right.” He mumbles. He presses his thumb into the ink pad before placing it on the designated spot in the sheet.

  “So, how are we doing?” Pepper walks over to them both.

  “Great. Just wrapping things up.” As he takes his thumb off it dawns on him that this is it. The final part. With that she’s now the CEO of Stark Industries. He’d kind of expected it to feel more exciting than that… “You’re the boss.”

  “Will that be all Mr. Stark?”

  “No.” He says at the exact moment Pepper says “Yes.”

  “That will be all Ms. Rushman. Thank you very much.” Pepper looks at him, challenging him. Instead of going against her right now he decides to wait until later. No matter what she says he’ll get Natalie as his new assistant. 

  Natalie nods goodbye to Peter before heading out of the door. The files are in her hand, ready to be officially filed. He has a feeling that both of them know this isn’t the end. They’ll be seeing one another again. 

  “I want one.”

  “No.”

  Despite Pepper’s response he finds himself at the computer in his room that night. Once again Peter is sleeping soundly in his bed. They’ve been sleeping in the same room less and less frequently recently but there are still days when Peter sneaks in during the night. They’d even mad him a personal arc reactor for a night light but it’s never as effective at chasing away the nightmares as the one in Tony’s own chest. 

  From his spot on the computer he looks over to watch Peter. The covers are completely off of him, bundled up at the bottom of the bed. He looks smaller than ever on the huge bed, curled up right near the pillow. ‘Abbit is pressed close to his chest protectively, his face nuzzled into the worn fabric. One arm is stretching out from his tight bundle to search the bed for Tony but finds nothing but cold empty sheets. 

  Fighting the urge to go and tuck Peter in again, he turns back to the computer. If he’s going to hire Natalie he needs a bit more information first. The primary information gathered from accessible files had been promising but he’s not taking any chances this time. After what Obadiah did and almost did to Peter he can’t afford to let someone unchecked into his home. Especially not one that’s seemingly perfect. Unnaturally so. 

  Even with J.A.R.V.I.S it’s taking longer than he’d hoped to get concrete information on the woman. So far all he’s figured out is that she’s not who she says she is. That Natalie Rushman isn’t really a person. Not one living on the grid anyway. 

  “I think I’ve found something…” J.A.R.V.I.S mumbles as he pulls up some files with a familiar logo on. 

  “Of course, I should’ve guessed that S.H.I.E.L.D would have something to do with it.” He sighs with relief. 

  They’d been too quiet recently. After sending Coulson in the director himself Nick Fury had actually paid him a visit. Of course he didn’t use the front door when he arrived but he’d arrived nonetheless. He’d been waiting to hear more from the man after his cryptic message about not being the only superhero but never had.

  “Gotcha.” He smiles and goes back to bed

  A week later Natalie arrives at the mansion again. It's funny, Pepper and Happy just so happen to be out of town on the day. He couldn't have planned it better if he tried. It's literally just him and Peter in the mansion together this time. 

  "Hello again. Natalie wasn't it?" He greets her at the door. For once he'd managed to convince Peter to stay on the couch instead of following to go open the door himself. 

  "Yes. Natalie Rushman. I'm glad to be meeting you again. It'll be nice to get to know the place a bit better."

  "Come in then.” He moves out of the way for her to enter.  

  “Who is it?” Peter peeks out around the edge of the living room wall. He’s still wearing his helmet and repulsors. He’s even made himself a little chest plate out of an old cardboard box - although he doesn’t wear that very often. 

  As soon as he catches sight of Natalie he jumps out from behind the wall to come greet her. Before speaking he has to open the little helmet to make sure she can hear him. His face is all red from being in the hot helmet for so long. 

  “Hello!”

  “Hello to you to.” She smiles and waves to him.

  “What’s your name?” He cocks his head to one side and bites his lower lip. 

  “Natalie.”

  “Nat! Can you show me your extra special super move now!” He jumps up and down and runs over to grab her hand. 

  “Not right yet I’m afraid. I’ll be around a lot more now though so I’ll show you another day.” She compromises. At this rate Peter’s going to force her to start training him up.

  He can’t imagine little Peter going into a martial art. He’s always been very small and frail for his age. Never putting on any fat or height. Not exactly the constitution you imagine from a fighter. Then again, Natalie isn’t exactly the tallest person and she is some kind of master.

  “Why?” Peter’s favourite word at the moment. He never misses an opportunity to ask why. 

  “Because I’m going to be Mr. Stark’s new assistant.”

  “New assistant? But Pepper is his assistant.”

  “Well Pepper is the big boss now so he needs a new assistant.” She explains patiently. No one ever called him the big boss when he was CEO. Clearly that was a missed opportunity. He should’ve just forced everyone on the board to call him that, they’d have hated it. 

  “Pepper is always the big boss.” Peter says seriously. Kid isn’t wrong. 

  “I bet she is.” Natalie smirks and turns around to look at Tony. 

  “I wanna go get something.” Peter announces to them both and starts running off towards the lab. He has no idea what he could be getting but he trusts J.A.R.V.I.S to make sure it isn’t dangerous in anyway. 

  Once he’s gone Natalie turns back around to face Tony and stands up tall. Her hands are clasped together in front of her making her look oddly professional. Her overly sweet submissive smile is back again.

  “Peter is my son. I’d appreciate if you kept that quiet. You don’t wanna know what happens to people who are loose lipped.” As expected, she doesn’t look surprised in the slightest. If she’s with S.H.I.E.L.D she should be able to stay quiet about Peter - at least with the public. Since S.H.I.E.L.D went to all of the trouble to put her here then they must want her to get on Tony’s good side and going public with Peter’s identity certainly wouldn’t do that. 

  “I understand.” She says cooly while maintaining her sickly sweet smile. 

  “Good. As long as that is clear. I’ll show you around the rest of the house.”

  The rest of the day goes by with only a few hitches. Peter shows off all of the bots, bringing them up from the lab to say hello. Unfortunately in the bots excitement they end up trashing the mansion. Knocking things off of all the surfaces and breaking them. It doesn’t help that they keep trying to fix things only to break them even more.

  Thankfully Natalie seems to be enjoying it. She listens attentively to everything Peter says. It’s hard to tell whether the laughs Peter gets out of her are genuine or another part of her facade. 

  “We’re headed to Monaco at the end of the week. I’ve bought you plane tickets so you can meet us there. I’ll forward you all the details.” He explains as they stand at the front door again. 

  Monaco was Pepper’s idea. A public appearance where they can talk about Peppers promotion and assure everyone that Tony would still be working R&D - at least until the palladium gets the better of him. Apparently all the important business owners are all going to be in Monaco for the racing so at least they’ll be watching something interesting for a change. 

  “I’ll see you there then.” 

  “Hey, Peter.” He crouches down to Peter’s height, “You can’t tell anyone else about Nat yet.” Of course Pepper is going to have to find out he didn’t listen to her at some point but he wants to put it off as long as possible. 

  “Why?”

  “It’s going to be a fun surprise for them. Everyone likes surprises.”

  “Like a birthday.”

  “Just like a birthday.”

  Peter must understand because he stays quiet the whole week. There are a couple of times when he could give it away but he never does. Sometimes he even looks over at Tony just to check that he’s still not allowed to tell. 

  The week goes by too quick. Another week down. The countdown is slowly running out. It’s not long before they’re off the plane and in Monaco.

  "Welcome to Monaco." Tony announces as they step through the door to the villa.

  For the first time they'd actually decided to rent out a villa instead of going to a hotel. Although they could afford to outright buy the place he didn't think they'd actually end up coming here if they did so there's no real point. 

  As soon as Tony opens the door, Peter runs past him to go inside. His suitcase makes a racked as it trudles along behind him on it’s worn wheels. He’s already got his star wars swimming trunks on with his t-shirt, ready for the pool. As soon as he’d found out they’d have a pool in the villa he’s run to go and get changed. It didn’t matter that they were in the middle of the air on a plane. 

  “Well done. You won, Peter!” Pepper chuckles as she steps in. Just after her Happy walks in, red faced and panting.

  “I was just letting him win.” He pants and bends over. All the bags he was carrying are instantly dropped to the floor as he tries to recover.

  “Sure you were.” Tony shakes his head and throws the keys down in the bowl, “Where’s Rhodey?” He peers past Happy but can’t see anyone else waiting outside the villa.

  “He’s still grabbing the last few bags out of the car.” Pepper explains and picks up some of the bags Happy dropped. Instead of holding them herself, she hands half of them over to Tony. He’s about to go put the bags away in the room when Peter comes running back.

  “Look Pepper look! Nat is already here!” He exclaims and points to the room he just came from.

  “Nat, huh?” Pepper turns and glares at Tony. He’s so screwed…

  “Yeah! She came all the way over to stay with us! Do you wanna come say hello with me again?” He jumps up and down. 

  “Why don’t we all go?” Pepper looks pointedly at him. He’s frozen on the spot. Truthfully, he’d forgotten Natalie was going to be here. Well, it’s too late to go back now.

  “Yeah! We should all go say hello. You and Happy didn’t get to see her last time.” Peter starts dragging them all through the villa excitedly. As much as he loves the kid, there are times when he really hates him. 

  “Last time? I didn’t know there was a last time.”

  “Dada said it would be a fun surprise for you.” 

  “Such a fun surprise.” 

  “Mr. Stark. Miss. Potts. Mr. Hogan.” Natalie greets them all as they step into the room.

  She’s dressed up nicely in a beachy dress. Her hair is still hanging loose, billowing slightly in the breeze coming through the windows. She’s got her swimming costume on underneath the dress, the straps looping around her neck delicately. 

  She can’t have got here much earlier than them but she’s already started organising things for them. Her stuff is piled up in one corner as she waits for them to tell her which room will be hers. There’s an itinerary on table along with a bunch of files and papers he’d asked her to bring along with her.

  “Miss. Rushman. Good to see you again.” Tony nods and smiles pleasantly, “I trust your journey here was nice.”

  “Yes, the tickets you bought for me were very pleasant.”

  “Well you’re welcome to travel back with us on the private plane.”

  “I’ll keep your offer in mind.” She smiles pleasantly and turns to the others, “It’s nice to see you both again.”

  “Very...nice. I had no idea you would be here.” Pepper tries to smile politely but is too busy glaring at Tony. 

  “Ah, I apologise if I caught you off guard.” Natalie gives them an apologetic smile which seems to soften Pepper slightly. After all it’s not Natalie she’s annoyed at.

  “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

  “Nat, Nat! Let’s go in the pool!” Peter tugs on Natalie’s arm, forcefully dragging her down to his level.

  “Do you know how to swim?” 

  “Ummmm...not yet…” He blushes slightly and bites his bottom lip, “But I do paddle in the sea. Dada rolls up my trousers.”

  “You know what we have to do then?” Peter shakes his head innocently, looking up at her in awe, “We’re going to have to teach you.”

  “You can teach me to swim?” He asks hopefully.

  He’s been bugging Tony to teach him for months but even with Peter pleading he can’t bring himself to. A few times he’s tried to get into the water but every time his body seizes up. Showers and rain are okay now but big bodies of water...not so much. 

  “Sure, do you need to get your swimmers on?” 

  “Look!” He takes his t-shirt off so he’s just wearing his trunks, “Now I’m in my swimmers!”

  “Wow!” She smiles softly and takes his hand, “Can I take him down to swim?”

  “I don’t see why not - as long as you don’t drown him.” Tony shrugs. 

  “Yay! I’ll race you!” He says excitedly and lets go of Natalie’s hand. Without even having a count down they both start racing off. 

  “Really?” Pepper crosses her arms and glares at Tony. “I thought we decided you wouldn’t do this.”

  “Did we? I don’t remember doing that. As my memory recalls you just told me no. There was no discussion.” Tony pretends to look thoughtful as if he’s actually straining his memory.

  “Tony.” She lowers her voice in warning but at that moment Rhodey walks in.

  “Hey, I couldn’t figure out where you guys had gone.” There’s a loud splash from outside, “What’s that? Where’s Peter? Who’s watching him?” His eyes widen as he looks around finding all three of the adults standing in the room.

  “Natalie’s with him.” Pepper rolls her eyes.

  “Natalie?” Rhodey frowns.

  “His new assistant.”

  “She seems pretty nice to me - although she did assault me when we first me.” Happy mumbles thoughtfully.

  “It’s not assaulting since you were in a boxing ring and were patronising her.” Tony points out. Happy can phrase it in whatever way he wants but it won’t change what really happened. He got completely obliterated. 

  “She is nice, but that’s not the point. The point is that she was from legal and we’d decided he wasn’t going to hire her because that would be inappropriate.” Pepper chides. 

  “It’s not inappropriate.”

  “It most certainly is.”

  “So what, she’s taken Peter down to the pool?” Rhodey asks Happy while Tony and Pepper argue.

  “Yeah, gonna teach him to swim.”

  “We should go down there with them. It’s been a long flight it would be nice to just sit down by the pool for a change.” 

  “I don’t see why not.” Tony adds, keeping eye contact with Pepper the whole time.

  “Sounds fun…if we're going down I'll need to get dressed so I'll meet you guys down there.” Pepper tears her gaze away from Tony.

  “I’ll go too.” Rhodey adds. He’s not even in shorts. In fact, somehow, he’s in a pair of long black jeans. 

  “Well I’m not going to swim so I’ll head out. You going in the pool?” Happy turns to Tony. 

  “Nah, not today. Maybe another day.” But there’s no way he’ll go in any of these days. Instead he’ll just stay to the side of the pool and watch them all.

  As him and Happy step outside they can see Natalie and Peter in the pool together. He’s got his little Iron Man armbands on, hoisted all the way up to the top of his arms. Although Natalie isn’t holding him, she’s stood a couple of centimeters away, watching him cautiously. Every time he starts sinking she’s right there, pulling him back up to the surface spluttering happily. What he’s doing wouldn’t exactly be considered swimming but it’s also not drowning.

  “Look look!” Peter chirps as he sees Tony coming down the steps. He’s floating on the water perfectly as Natalie’s arms wait either side. However as soon as he speaks he displaces himself and starts sinking again. Although Natalie catches him remarkably quickly, he still gets a mouthful of water and begins spluttering once again.

  “Well done! You’re doing great.” He shouts out encouragingly and takes a seat on one of the sun loungers. Happy joins him, taking off his shirt and lying back. However, instead of lying down Tony stays sat up watching the secret S.H.I.E.L.D agent and Peter playing happily. 

  As Natalie jumps out of the water the sun reflects off of her, catching on an almost invisible white scar running along her abdomen. It’s surgically precise and goes all the way along her lower abdomen. It’s the only scar either. There’s something that looks like a bullet wound on her shoulder, a long thin one along her back and countless small one scattered around her torso. It’s hard to make out any of them under the bright light, they flicker in and out of view like mirages. Peeks beneath the hardened mask she wears. It seems S.H.I.E.L.D doesn’t offer a life of sunshine and rainbows. 

  “You coming in?” She asks, forcefully drawing his attention away from her scars. 

  “Not today. Don’t feel like it.” He grumbles and finally lies back next to Happy. 

  “He never feels like it anymore.” Peter pouts as he clings onto Natalie for support. His armbands get in the way of his clinging but she still has a good hold on him. 

  “Well, Dada prefers relaxing in the sun. You have Pepper and Rhodey to play with in the water.” Tony grumbles.

  “And Nat!”

  As he lies down he can feel eyes watching him. Studying him. It’s an unsettling feeling. Like something trailing it’s way slowly up his spine. 

  “Yeah, Nat too.” He pushes himself up slightly by his elbows to look at her but she’s not looking at him. There’s no sign that she ever was. All of her focus is on dunking Peter up and down in the water.

  “Room for two more?” Rhodey and Pepper finally arrive, coming out of the lower floor door which is at the same level as the pool rather than the door that Happy and Tony came through.

  “Plenty.” Natalie holds onto Peter again and gestures to the huge sprawling pool. There’s certainly not a lack of space. It would be the perfect place for a big pool party…

  As Pepper and Rhodey get into the pool Tony lies back down. With the warm sun beating down on him and the sounds of splashing and laughter he slowly lets himself close his eyes. He’s not sleeping, or even close to it, but it’s...peaceful. There aren’t many times he can remember being well and truly at peace - certainly not in the first 28 odd years.

  If he had to die right now he doesn’t think that would be so bad. This is how he wants to spend the remainder of his days, lying here listening to his family. He doesn’t want to keep going around to all these events right up until the end. Of course if he followed J.A.R.V.I.S’s advice and just told them he wouldn’t need to keep going to those things. But he also wouldn’t be able to just lie here and listen to them laughing. No one would laugh or let themselves enjoy anything. It’s just better this way.

  “You okay?” Pepper’s voice comes out of nowhere. He finally opens his eyes only to be assaulted by the sunlight. 

  She’s gotten out of the pool, her hair hanging loosely around her. It looks much darker now that it’s wet. Still not as dark as Natalie’s but getting there. There’s a towel wrapped loosely around her as she lies back on the sun lounger. 

  “I’m always fine.” Tony smiles charmingly.

  “I think our definitions of fine are different.” She chuckles and turns her head to look properly at him

  “That’s probably true.”

  “You do know you can talk to us right. All of us here.” She nods towards the pool where everyone is playing. 

  Rhodey is now holding Peter as Natalie splashes him. All three of them are smiling genuinely, even Natalie. Peter keeps kicking at the water to try and splash her back but she dodges every time. Nonetheless, Peter keeps trying and giggles loudly every time he fails, getting water splashed in his face.

  “I know.”

  “And I know there’s something you’re not telling us. There always is. You can never trust any of us.”

  “I trust you enough to give you my company don’t I?”

  “Do you? Because most of the time it feels like you don’t trust me - or any of us. Like you don’t listen to us. Just like how you hired Natalie despite what I said. You never listen about anything and never ask for help then you end up getting hurt.”

  “I do listen.”

  “No, you don’t. You didn’t listen to me about Natalie.”

  “You like her though, don’t you. I made the right call.”

  “She’s a nice person and she’s good with Peter but that doesn’t change anything. It’s not just automatically okay because it turned out alright. If you keep on not listening it’s eventually not going to turn out well. One day it's going to get someone killed.” She mumbles and sits up. Even if Tony did know what to say, she doesn’t give him time to respond. Instead she gets up and pads out of the courtyard to go back inside.

  The very next day they set off in the limo again. For the whole ride Tony just stares quietly out of the window. Outside he can see the racetrack where everyone is preparing. In fact, they’re actually driving along the racetrack itself. Right now there are no cars on the road but you can see them all waiting to the sides. The road is so much smoother and emptier than the public roads. They could’ve just driven in like everyone else but Tony isn’t just anyone else. His life is a spectacle and he’s going to do his damndest to make it the best show in town.

  Somewhere out there is the SI car, designed specially by Tony. It’s one of his favourites. He has no doubt that it’s the best i the competition. He’s been making cars since he was in single digits - longer than any of these other designers. By this point you’d certainly hope that he knows what he’s doing.

  Crowds have already gathered excitedly, filling the sidelines with expectant faces. All of them cheer as their car drives up to the entrance. As the cheers get louder he opens the window and flashes them all a peace sign.

  Both Pepper and Natalie are typing away on their phones silently. Although they both suck when it comes to holding up a conversation he’s glad they’re here. Part of him wants to go back and hang out by the pools with Rhodey and Peter but this is important. Peter would love seeing the race track in person but, at least this time, watching it on TV will have to do. 

  Happy pulls up the car by the door to the hotel lobby the guests are heading to. It’s got the best view of the entire place, right alongside the race track itself. Everyone who is anyone is going to be inside there right now, including some unsavoury faces. 

  As soon as the car comes to a stop he opens the door to greet the crowds. They shout out even louder as he waves, jumping up and down to get a better look. He’d always been known by the crowds but since getting the suit things have definitely been different. Random strangers and people outside of the industry suddenly recognise him. Kids like Peter can be seen wearing Iron Man masks out and about in town. 

  “Come on, let’s go inside.” Pepper rolls her eyes and starts dragging Tony along behind her. A few people boo as Tony is dragged away but he just shrugs his shoulders. He’d been just about to head in anyway.

  Natalie and Happy follow after them as they all head inside. In Happy’s hand is the metallic red case that Tony carries with him everywhere now. His new Iron Man suit. So far it’s had no real use but you never know. Better to be over prepared than caught off guard.

  Despite the sweltering heat of Monaco, it's pleasantly cool inside the hotel. Air cons are blasting away all around them to keep the place from overheating. With all the people milling about inside it’s direly needed. Without it they’d all burn out instantly.

  As usual, it’s not long before they’re ambushed by an unsavoury face. One Justin Hammer to be specific. It seems Tony can never go far without him popping up to annoy him. Matters are only made worse when Pepper ditches him, leaving Tony alone and stranded. In the end, Natalie has to come and save him giving him a chance to slip off into the bathroom.

  Once he’s sure the bathroom is empty he walks over to the mirror handing over the line of sinks. Even now he can see the slightly haughty bags lining his eyes. They’re well concealed but Tony can always see them - even when no one else can. Especially when no one else can.

  Although he already knows he’s not going to like what he sees, he takes the blood toxicity meter out of his pocket and places it on the counter top. Sighing, he presses his thumb against the pad and waits. The blinking screen changes to read 53% toxicity.

  It’s going too fast. He hasn’t gotten to do all the things he wants to. Not yet. At this rate, he won’t even make it to the end of the Expo. He’s hoped he’d get at least another year. That he’d be able to see Peter turn five. It’s just another thing that’s being taken from him.

  “Got any other bad ideas?” All his plans are crumbling under his feet. All his time being sucked away by his own fucking heart. His night light. What’s the point of even trying to be safe and careful now? What’s the point when he’s going to die in a couple of weeks?

  You know what? He does have a bad idea.

  And it’s going to be brilliant.

 

~~~

 

  As he straps into the car he realises just how stupid of an idea this is. Sure, he’s driven race cars to test them before but not like this. Not on the tracks. As great as he is at driving, it’s completely different to driving in an actual race. 

  He can already hear Pepper, Happy and Rhodey screaming at him. If they don’t know what he’s up to yet they will soon. All the cameras are pointing at him, watching him get into the car. Fortunately it’ll be too late for any of them to stop him by the time they notice. 

  Is Peter going to be watching this on the TV? There’s no doubt in his mind that the kid will love it. He might not be as big a fan of cars as Tony but he still loves them. Loves sitting in all of Tony’s fancy sport cars. Besides he always loves seeing Tony on TV, even if he has no idea what’s going on. 

  “You okay Mr. Stark?” One of the technicians asks him as they do the final adjustments. They’ve been fussing over him nonstop ever since he got into the car. It makes sense he supposes but it’s still bloody annoying. However, now he’s completely ready and safe, dressed up in the outfit and everything. 

  He gives the technician a thumbs up and settles down into the car. It’s more uncomfortable than he remembers it being. If the race or palladium don’t kill him he’ll have to make these things more comfortable. 

  Under him, the car rumbles ominously. You can feel all the raw power thundering through it. Tearing through the engines as it prepares to race. As amazing as the Iron Man suit is, there’s something about the harsh rumble of car engines that leaves you feeling powerful. They might not let you fly or even be as fast as his suit but they just _feel_ powerful. 

  The lights count him down as he breathes in and prepares. Although the crowds and cars are screeching, there’s a strange kind of silence. Not a literal one but a silence nonetheless. All of the racers are holding their breath’s, waiting for the race to begin.

  3….

  2….

  1….

  The car roars to life as he slams his foot down on the pedal. The car soars past the starting line, following all the other cars. All of them jockey for position, trying to outdo the others. It’s surprisingly less scary when you’re actually doing it. Seeing all the cars swarming around you predatorially.

  He knows he’s not doing the best but it’s not like he expected to win. These are seasoned, professional drivers and he’s just the mechanic. Despite that, it feels brilliant. Definitely worth the yelling he’s going to get later. 

  Although there’s no time to properly take in the sights, he feels at awe with the world surrounding him. It’s nothing more than a passing blur at this speed but it’s still amazing. Vibrant colours surround him on all sides. Without the cars around him blocking his view, it looks spectacular.

  Wait a second...where did all the cars go...? He wasn’t that far behind. Certainly wasn’t last place… There had been other cars behind him but none of them are even trying to approach now.

  Despite the dangers, he turns his head slightly to look at the crowd and can see people running away. They’re pushing past one another to get out of the seats they’d paid hundred of euro’s for. It’s only as he rounds the corner that he realises why.

  Smoke is billowing all over the place, making it hard to see anything. A race car has already been sliced apart, the two pieces lying on the racetrack ominously. There are people trying to recover the body but it’s clear the man is already dead.

   Amongst all the chaos is a single man holding onto two whips. One in each hand. Unlike normal whips they crackle with electricity, sparking as if they’re harnessing the power of lightning itself. That’s not the most amazing thing though. No, the most amazing thing would be the light blue glowing circle at the centre of this whip contraction. An arc reactor. A functional one at that. It glows ominously as Tony approaches.

  He tries to slam on the brakes but nothing happens. He’s going too fast and doesn’t have enough time. Unable to do anything, completely out of control, he barrels towards the man just as he raises his whips.

  Instead of crashing into the guy, his car flies up into the air. The front half of the car has been completely sliced off in one sweep of the whips. Sparks shower him and he starts falling back towards the ground again. Tarmac comes up to meet him as the car flips along the ground. 

  Despite him bracing himself, it feels like every bone in his body has been broken. He knows they haven’t but the burning sensation can’t be argued with. He’s still miraculously alive but is trapped in his car by his own seat belt. Stuck waiting for the guy to come and finish him off.

  Carefully, he pulls off the helmet and looks back at the man who is now walking towards him. There’s no haste in his movements. Just cool, calm, confidence. As if he has all the time in the world to finish Tony off.

  As Tony watches, another car drives up to the man, as unaware of the situation as Tony was. Another car appears after that and another. All three cars try to stop before hitting the man and end up slamming into one another. A huge fireball rises up into the sky and they all collide, hopefully dying instantly. 

  The man doesn’t even bat an eyelid and continues his saunter over to Tony. Everyone else is just collateral. 

  With his hands shaking, he reaches down and starts tugging at his seatbelt. It’s jammed from the fall and refuses to release. In the end he has to smash the buckle with all his might to force it to open up. With the man still a distance away he sneaks out of the car and slips behind it, out of sight. Making sure not to be noticed, he slips through the wreckages, leaving his own car behind. 

  From a distance he watches as the man approaches his car and slices it in half with his whips. It cuts right through the drivers area where Tony should’ve been.

  In the split second of shock where the man is trying to figure out what has happened, Tony starts moving towards him. He might not have his iron man suit or weapons but he’s sure as hell not going to lay down and die. Not going to run away and put anyone else in danger. Somehow this guy knows how to make an arc reactor and that sort of knowledge is the kind of thing that can get a lot of people killed. As long as he’s still out there, people will die.

  Grabbing a piece of debris from the floor, he runs towards the man and smashes the metal sheet across his head. He stumbles and almost falls but quickly stabilises himself again. Within seconds he’s raising the whips once more and lashing out at Tony. Fortunately he’s able to dodge out of the way but the whips catch the edge of the metal sheet and knock it out of his hands. 

  As the weapon drops to the ground, so does Tony. His back hits to hard floor making the pain even worse. Now he’s weaponless, in pain and on the floor - none of the things you want to be in a fight. It’s all he can do to dodge the onslaught of whips coming towards him. Even when he does get up off of the floor, the whips just send him flying into a car and back onto the floor. 

  He’s going to die.

  Once again, he’s going to die at the hands of the arc reactor. 

  No. Not yet. He doesn’t want to die before his 32nd birthday. Doesn’t want to die without seeing Peter or Pepper or any of them again. This man doesn’t deserve his death.

  Staying as still as possible he bides his time. Watching through the wing mirror of the car he was thrown into, he can see the man parading towards him. The whips fly around him intricately as he puts on his little show. Building tension. 

  Gasoline from the tanks is pouring out onto the ground by Tony. If the sound of gushing liquid didn’t give it away then the overwhelming smell certainly does. Spilt gasoline near those sparks from his whips could be bad. But it could also be good. 

  As the man gets closer and closer Tony prepares himself. As soon as he’s close enough for the whips to slice into the gasoline, Tony jumps up and makes a mad dash towards the wall. Behind him, the gasoline ignites, exploding and knocking him forwards. Despite how hot it is and how much it burns his arm, it does get him to safety.

  It’s only as he stands up that he realises the burning on his arm a literal fire eating it's way up his arm. While he’s busy putting out the fire, the man keeps walking towards him unhindered.

  Right at that moment a familiar black car drives up behind the man. With all the screaming and explosions it’s impossible to hear it driving up to them. In fact, the man doesn’t even notice the car is there until it’s ramming right into him.

  However the car doesn’t stop there. It keeps driving right at Tony, aiming for the fence right behind him. The man is pinned against the front of the car and is racing straight towards him. As quickly as he can he grabs a hold of the fence and pulls himself up it out of reach as the car barrels right into the fence beneath his feet.

 Tony’s heart slowly starts to calm down as the man stays completely still on the bonnet. Sighing with relief, he jumps down and walks over to the drivers window where Happy is sat in shock. 

  “Are you okay?” He has to shout over the screams of the crowd and of Pepper who is sat in the back seat.

  “Yeah.” Happy pants.

  “Were you heading for me or him? Because I couldn’t tell.” He hisses. If he’d been even a second closer Happy would’ve smashed him right into the fucking fence along with that guy! They’re supposed to be helping him, not trying to kill him.

  “I was trying to scare him.” Happy shouts back but is quickly drowned out by Pepper.

  “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!” She screeches at the top of her voice.

  “We need to get better security.” He points to the unconscious man now on the bonnet of the car.

  “GET IN THE CAR RIGHT NOW!” She screams and points right at the seat beside her.

  “I WAS ATTACKED!” He screams right back at her. He hadn’t planned on being attacked! It’s not like he sat down and decided he wanted a homicidal maniac to come after him.

  “Get in the car!” Happy chips in, surprisingly the calmest of the group for once.

  “You’re the CEO. Better security measures. God, it’s embarrassing.” Tony sighs before finally moving around to the other side of the car to get in, “First vacation in two years…” He sighs as he opens the door of the car.

  As soon as he opens the door, the whip comes flying straight at him, slicing the door in half in his hand. Instantly Pepper and Happy begin screaming again, slamming the car repeatedly into the man. 

  “I got him!” Happy screams out but the man still isn’t falling unconscious. What the fuck is this guy? Why won’t he just die?!

  “Hit him again! Hit him again!”

  “Take the case! Take the case!” Pepper grabs his metallic red case from the seat and start throwing it at him.

  But before Tony can take the case the airbag blows up in Happy’s face forcing him to stop ramming the car. The man makes the most of the moment and slices the car in half. Sparks rain down, preventing Pepper from sliding the case to him. Instead Tony runs around to the other side of the car again but the man has already sliced that side off too.

  “Give me the case! Please! Come on!” Without the doors in the way Pepper is able to instantly chuck him the case. It slides across the floor and comes to a stop right at his feet.

  Not wanting to waste any more time, he reaches down and grabs the cases handles, pulling the suit up to attach onto his torso. The rest of the suit opens up on it’s own, wrapping itself around Tony. 

  With the suit on, he kicks the car out of the way to safety. Or as safe as it can get right now. Happy and Pepper thankfully stay in the car, trying to keep themselves safe. It’s pretty hard without the side of the car to shelter them but it’s not going to get any better. 

  Soon the man is launching his whips at Tony again. They wrap around his neck, flinging him from side to side but surprisingly not doing too much damage. Being thrown onto the car by the whips actually does more damage than the whips themselves. When they’re moving fast they’re dangerous but wrapped around his neck, they’re actually rather harmless.

  Realising this, he grabs a hold of the whip holding him and starts to pull it, dragging himself closer and closer to the man. Without his primary attack, the man isn’t actually hard to throw to the ground. As soon as he’s down, Tony walks over and tears the arc reactor off of his chest, rendering his whips entirely powerless.

  Instantly the police swarm over and bind him up. His whips are removed and placed in a special container to be transported back to the police station. There are still lots of people filming the event with their phones out but the screaming has died down. 

  Around them somewhere are the bodies of the four dead racers. Four lives stolen. Wasted. And Tony could do nothing to save any of them. Back the Senate he'd vouched that people would be unable to make arc reactors for years and here was someone a couple of weeks later with that exact tech. And now four people have died as a result of that. 

  "Tony!" Pepper runs over to him and hugs him. "I can't believe you did that!" She releases him and pushes him backwards. 

  "Hey, hey, hey! What did I do now?" He raises his hands in surrender. 

  "You almost gave me a heart attack." 

  "Well that's hardly my fault."

  "It's completely your fault."

  "Look, can we just go back to the villa now? I'd rather you tell at me after my coffee." He sighs. It’s been too long of a day. Once he’s had a coffee and a drink he’ll be back to his old self.

  As soon as they drive up the road to the villa they can see Peter and Rhodey waiting for them. Peter is in Rhodey’s arms but is squirming to get free. However, the second Tony opens the car door, Peter overcomes Rhodey and releases himself. He charges straight for Tony, tackling him in a hug.

  "I thought you were going to die." He sniffles into Tony's shirt. 

  "Hey there." Tony bends down and picks him up, "I'm Iron Man remember. Iron Man isn't going to ever lose to a baddie like that. Don't you worry about me."

  "Okay." He sniffles again but manages to force a smile on his face, "No one got hurt did they?" He peeks his head out from Tony's shoulder and examines the others.

  "Natalie was safe in the hotel and Happy and Pepper are fine. They'll have a few bruises but they'll be fine soon." He can’t tell the truth. Can’t tell Peter about the four dead drivers. The ones Tony failed to save.

  "i wanna go home now." Peter sniffles.

  "We'll go home. Don’t you worry."

  Before they can go home, Tony takes a trip to the prisons to visit the man who’s name is apparently Ivan. He’s not really sure why he goes - he doesn’t really learn much - but he feels the overwhelming need to.

  He goes in with questions and comes out with even more. Other than the guys overwhelming hatred for Howard, and by extension Tony, there’s no real motive there. He could have made himself a fortune selling his design but instead he tried to kill Tony. The only real piece of information he got is a name: Anton Vanko - Ivan’s father. 

  Somehow he comes out of the room doubting whether he actually won the fight…

  He tries to put the conversation out of his mind as he boards the plane. Instead of sitting with Peter, Pepper, Rhodey, Natalie and Happy, he goes to the back of the plane where the little kitchen is. He can hear the news blasting through the plane even from the kitchen area. Everyone is talking about Ivan and Monaco. About the other arc reactor.

  After a couple of minutes, Peter creeps quietly into the kitchen.

  “What are you doing?” He mumbles quietly.

  “I’m cooking.”

  “Why?”

  “I thought I would make Pepper some omelettes.” All the eggs are sat on the countertop, waiting to be used.

  “Can I help?” He walks up to Tony and stands on his tiptoes. He still can’t see over the top of the counter but he keeps trying anyway.

  “Sure, I’ll help you up.” He picks Peter up and sets him on the counter so he can see everything, “You have to do everything I tell you to, got it.”

  “Got it!” He salutes and giggles.

  “Okay, so you’re going to crack the egg.”

  It takes a couple of attempts and three hours and four boxes of eggs but eventually they makes something that could vaguely be considered food. He lets Peter carry it in for Pepper so he can show off his good work.

  “Wow! What’s this?” She says over dramatically as Peter and Tony parade down the aisle towards her.

  “Food!” Peter carefully places it on the table in front of her.

  “That’s amazing, is this what you were doing for three hours?”

  “Yep! You have to eat it now!” He takes the lid off of the plate enthusiastically, “We made lots and lots and this was the best one.” He beams with pride.

  “I can’t wait to eat it.” 

  She does surprisingly well at eating it. Although it must be disgusting she never lets it show. 

  Tony lifts Peter up onto his lap as they sit on the chair opposite Pepper. Eventually he falls asleep on Tony’s lap, his hand reaching out to touch the arc reactor. With him sat on Tony’s lap, Tony can feel every breath as his chest rises and falls. It takes him right back to the first time J.A.R.V.I.S played his heart beat aloud. A steady reminder of his presence. That he hasn’t left yet.

  Trying to occupy his mind, he stares out of the plane window. Everything below has become distant. Those peaceful moments by the pool completely gone. 

  “What’s going on in that big head of yours?” Pepper whispers quietly.

  “Nothing.” He instinctively answers but after a second he rescinds the statement, “I don’t wanna go home. At all. Let’s cancel my birthday party and go to venice or London or something. Show Peter more of the world. Lay low for a little while and relax.”

  They could just go back to relaxing. Enjoy what little time is left. There are still so many places left to go. Places he hasn’t seen. Places he wants to take Peter. 

  “I think this is the worst time possible to lay low. There’s so much to do back home and so much to deal with. Besides, Peter needs to be back home where things are stable. It’s not good for a kid to grow up living like this. Being terrified all of the time.” She shakes her head and pushes the empty plate away from her.

  “I think this is exactly what we all need. Some time with just the group of us, away from everyone else.” 

  “For you maybe but not for the rest of us. Not for Peter. Besides I’m CEO now, I need to actually show up for my meetings and conferences.” She sighs.

  “I never did.”

  “Well not all of us are Tony Stark.” She chuffs and turns to look out the window. 

  “As CEO you’re entitled to leave.” He tries a different attempt but nothing he says is going to work. Pepper has never been the kind to just leave work. To take time off. It’s part of what makes her so much better as CEO than him. 

  “A leave?” She raises her eyebrows questioningly. 

  “A company retreat.”

  “A retreat? At a time like this?” 

  “Just a ride. Some time to recharge our batteries and figure it all out.”

  “Not everyone runs on batteries Tony.” She hums and leans back in her chair. 

  “No. Of course not.” He mumbles but no one is listening. 

  Batteries can be recharged over and over but, eventually, even batteries run out. 

 

~~~

 

  With their holiday behind them, Tony throws himself entirely into his work. While he spends all day playing with Peter, the nights are devoted to work and research. There's so little time left that he needs to make the most of every second. He can't afford to waste any time sleeping. 

  He starts researching Ivan Vanko and his father even though the man is already in prison. Ivan had mentioned Howard when Tony visited and, surprisingly, Anton and Howard had worked together. For a little while. But in this story Howard is actually in the right. 

  "Query complete sir. Anton Vanko was a Soviet physicist who defected to the United States in 1963.However, he was accused of espionage and was deported in 1967. His son, Ivan, who is also a physicist, was convicted of selling Soviet-era weapons grade plutonium to Pakistan, and served 15 years in Kopeisk prison. No further records exist." JARVIS explains as Tony leans back in his chair. 

  "Tony, what are you doing?" Pepper mumbles as she approaches him. There's still a drink in his hand, only half full now, "More drinking. Are you sure that's what you need right now?" She presses one of her cold hands against his forehead. 

  Although he looks a state, that's nothing compared to how he feels. As the palladium gets stronger and stronger more of his veins seem to set ablaze. It's like he's just been hit by a train that then came back only to smash into him again. 

  "Alcohol is always needed." He snorts but a Pepper snatches the glass from him and sits down.

  "When did you last sleep?"

  "Dunno? Tuesday?" 

  "You need to sleep and eat some decent food. I'll bring you a glass of water."

  "I don't need water."

  "Then will you at least talk to me." She pleads with him, "I want to help you, I really do but I'm swamped at the moment. I'm getting calls every few minutes about the fiasco in Monaco and as CEO I need to make sure this company doesn't go under because of it."

  "And you're doing a great job. Clearly I was right to make you the CEO. You've been doing this for years. I can take care of myself."

  "Clearly not. I know you're spending all day with Peter and using the nights to catch up on work. It's not a healthy way to live. It going to get you killed." He almost snorts. Sleep deprivation isn’t going to be the thing that kills him. Even if he went to sleep, what's the point? He's going to die regardless of whether he's had a great night sleep or not. 

 "I've been doing it for years, I'll be fine."

  "No you won't. You need a break. Some time to catch up on your rest. So I'm going to take Peter with me to New York for the Expo. We both might be busy but May is working the night shifts so she'll be able to take care of him during the day until you sort yourself out." Pepper says softly, trying to soften the blow of what she's saying. 

  “You can’t just take Peter. He’s my son, not yours.” Tony jumps up out of his chair.

  “I can and I am. At least until you decide to stop bottling whatever this is up. It’s not healthy, Tony. Peter looks up to you and this is the example you’re setting. You need to take some time to think about the kind of role model you want to be.” She hisses and turns to walk out of the room, "This is for your sake more than anything. I hope you sort whatever it is out." 

  And then she leaves. 

  True to her word, both of them are gone that evening. They've even taken Happy with them. The once full house is now desolate.

  Without anyone else around, Tony heads down to the lab. Even though he’s been in the lab alone recently it doesn’t feel the same now. It feels to vast and empty.

  The worst part is that he knows she’s right. That he’s a terrible role model. He’s always known it. It’s what he’s always feared. His greatest fear ever since the moment Mary first mentioned her pregnancy.

  He’d hoped he’d finally become better than his own father but has he really? Just like Howard he’s planning on leaving Peter alone again. Alone forever this time though. There’ll be no miraculous recovery. Sure, he’s been running all the simulations but the truth is that he’s completely given up. Not even trying to find a solution anymore. 

  Quietly, he takes the toxicity meter out of his pocket and sets it in front of him. Despite everything he reads the number on the screen. 78% toxicity….

  These are his last few days left on this world and he’s alone. Completely alone. All he had wanted was to spend these days with his family but that’s not going to happen.

  He’s never going to see Peter again.

  He’ll be dead before the week is up.

  A lone tear rolls down his cheek.

  He never did say goodbye. He’d been putting it off for so long because he thought he had time. Thought he was going to be able to explain things properly. That he would be able to say everything he wanted to. That was never going to happen though.

  “It’ll be okay.” J.A.R.V.I.S reassures him.

  “Will it?”

  “We can keep working to find a way to keep you alive. Find some way to fix the issue.” Determination fills his little AI’s voice. 

  Part of him wants to laugh but instead he cries. He’s grown up so much. Even now, holding on after Tony has long since given up. He’s always been proud of his AI’s but never more so than right now. Although Tony made them they’re their own creations. Have their own minds and feelings and dreams. 

  It’s not just Peter he’s going to be missing seeing grow up. He’s going to be missing J.A.R.V.I.S growing up too. And DUM-E. And Butterfingers. And U. Poor little U. HE hasn’t even properly started growing. Still so young.  

  “Activate Torch protocol.” Tony mumbles, wiping away the tear that's running down his cheek. 

  “But, sir -”

  “Activate it.” He clears his throat and speaks firmly.

  “As you wish…” J.A.R.V.I.S resigns himself and goes quiet leaving Tony to his own silence again. He doesn’t even speak to warn Tony of Rhodey’s approach.

  “Tony?” He pokes his head around the doorway to look in, “You wanna talk?”

  “About what?” He clears his throat and wipes away his tears before turning around the chair to face him. 

  “About Peter and Pepper.” Rhodey creeps forward and takes a seat on the counter.

  “What’s there to talk about? They’ve just gone up to the Expo for a few days to give me some space. They’ll be back by the end of the week.” But by then it’ll be too late.

  “Come on, we both know how much you care about Peter. It might just be a few days but that doesn’t mean you’re okay.” Tony doesn’t dare talk. Doesn’t trust himself to stay quiet about any of this anymore, “I’m here for you Tony. Always have been. You’re family and have been ever since you stepped into that dorm room in MIT. You can talk to me.”

  “I’m okay.” Tony coughs out, looking away from Rhodey. While Tony’s back is turned Rhodey reaches forward and tugs on the neck of Tony’s shirt.

  “Okay? This high tech crossword puzzle on your neck is okay?” Rhodey lets the fabric drop down again, “You wanna do this whole lone gunslinger act and it’s unnecessary. You don’t need to do this on your own. You’ve got a family that cares about you and wants to protect you. You need to stop hiding away from everything that scares you. There’s a lot of scary things in this world but that doesn’t mean we should just hide away all the time. I’ve seen you do this a million times before. Things scare you and you disappear but I’m not letting that happen this time. I’m going to be right here the whole way.”

  “I’m fine. I just need some time.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll give you.”

  If only he had time left.

 

~~~

 

  Despite himself, he doesn’t end up cancelling the party. Originally he’d been planning to but what’s the point now? How else would he spend the day?

  By the time the party starts he’s already blackout drunk. A steady day of drinking away the emptiness away does that for you. He’s not entirely sure what he’s doing half of the time and it’s probably better that way. 

  Although he started the party in a nice suit, it’s not long before he’s changed into one of the iron man suits. What happened to the suit he was wearing? No idea. But it’s not underneath the Iron Man suit so it’s anyone’s guess.

  There’s a DJ hired but when he’s not purposely surrounding himself with crowds of people, he’s sneaking up off the dance floor to DJ just to get a little space. 

  As he squeezes himself through the dense crowds of people to get to the bar, he realises he knows literally no one here except Natalie and he hasn’t seen her for hours. Despite all the people here it still feels lonely. Nothing he tries is draining away that loneliness. So he does what he does best. He drinks. 

  Memories become hazy, drifting in and out of focus. From what he can tell there’s a lot of shouting, dancing and falling over. He’s fairly sure he pees in the suit at some point - or maybe it’s vomit….

  People keep cheering anyway, not caring so long as the booze keeps coming - which it does. They even start throwing objects up in the air for him to shoot. Expensive glass champagne bottles go up into the air and glass and wine rains back down. There’s a little voice in the back of his head telling him it’s time to stop but he’s fairly sure that voice is Peppers voice so he just keeps drowning it out with booze. Maybe if he keeps going like this the booze will kill him before the palladium does. 

  “Tony?! What the hell is going on here?” Rhodey grabs onto his shoulder and shakes him gently. 

  When did he get on the floor? He doesn’t remember deciding to sit down...although it is pretty nice down here. There’s less people around. Except Rhodey, he’s sticking around like a bad smell. 

  “Don’t you recognise a party?” Tony snorts and tries to stand up to no avail. Now he has to lean against Rhodey just to stay standing. 

  “This is getting out of hand.” Rhodey looks around the room and wrinkles his nose up, “We need to stop this party now. I’m sorry everyone but you’re going to have to leave.” Rhodey stands up on the stage in front of everyone and shouts out.

  “Do you always have to be such a buzzkill?” Tony groans. On wobbly feet he finally takes a step of his own.

  Everyone in the crowd starts booing loudly. No one throws anything but a couple of people look dangerously close to. 

  “Tony, don’t do this.” Rhodey growls. "I said I'd give you time but this isn't what I meant." 

  "What because it's not boring?" He snorts again and stumbles. People gasp as he starts to trip and cheer again when he finally rights himself, stopping himself from falling over.

  "No, because it's not safe. Someone's going to get hurt soon. Besides I vouched for you with the US Senate telling them you were responsible enough to keep the suit. What are they going to think when they see all this shit?" 

  "Why should I care?" 

  "They'll take the suits away from you Tony!" 

  "And? What's the point. Let them take them if they really want."

  "That's it." With that Rhodey finally storms off but he doesn’t stay gone for long.

  A few minutes later the party in interrupted by Rhodey storming back in in one of Tony’s own suits. His newest creation. He’d been expecting it of course but that still doesn’t make it any less annoying. 

  “I’m only going to say this once. GET OUT!” He shouts out at all the party goers.

  None of them dare stick around and instantly start running out of the mansion. Many of them have their glass still in hand and others are outright stealing shit but he doesn’t care. After all, He’s not going to need any of that stuff soon. If they really want it, let them have it.

  Tony stays exactly where he is, watching his best and oldest friend. The same guy who used to rub his back as he threw up in the dorm room toilets. Who stood by him through everything. The last person he has left.

  And then his face disappears as the iron man faceplate moves down to complete the helmet.

  “You don’t deserve to wear one of these. Shut it down.” Rhodey spits at him. He charges right at Tony pointing an accusatory finger.

  He has to fight to keep his expression neutral. He’s always known he didn’t really deserve to wear the suit but that’s exactly why he fought tooth and nail to keep it. When he’d promised Yinsen he wouldn’t waste his life he’d meant it. Building the Iron Man suit was meant to be his way of doing something with his life but along the way he’d lost sight of that.

  Although Peter kept on seeing the hero in the suit, that man was gone. The Iron Man in Peter’s games would never be doing this. Would never wear the suit to a party and drink his way to an early grave. 

  Tony turns around to face the DJ stand. While all the other guests had left he never saw the DJ go. He must still be back there.

  “Goldstein.” He calls out.

  “Yes, Mr. Stark?” He timidly pokes his head up from behind the stand.

  “Give me a phat beat to beat my buddy’s ass to.” He laughs loudly. Goldstein cautiously fiddles with the music until  _ Another One Bites The Dust _ starts playing. 

  With Tony’s back still turned, Rhodey comes up behind him and grabs onto him. Still TOny can’t bring himself to care. He just nods along to the music. Whatever will happen will happen. He probably deserves to get his ass beat by Rhodey anyway.

  “I told you to shut it down.” Rhodey snaps.

  That second, Tony drops the mic he hadn’t realised he’d been holding and flies off backwards. Him and Rhodey slam straight through the wall of the sauna and keep on going. They go through the glass door of the sauna and land in the training room with the boxing ring

  While Rhodey is lying on the floor, Tony is stood up over him, looking down at his friend. He could completely take down Rhodey but instead he just keeps walking out of the room.

  “Now, put that thing back where you found it before someone gets hurt.”

  Instead of staying down Rhodey launches a weight at his head. The heavy metal clangs against his own metal helmet sending vibrations running through his head. God, that’s gonna hurt in the morning. 

  Another weight comes flying at him but this time he dodges and it flies harmlessly into the glass door of the shower room. More glass shatters across the floor. It almost looks like snow when it’s piled up like that...

  “Really?” He growls. Before Rhodey can try and hit him with any more he grabs the entire weight by the pole and smashes it into Rhodeys head. He is thrown backwards into the ring at such a force he breaks the ropes on the other end and slams into the wall, “Sorry, pal, but Iron Man doesn’t have a sidekick.”

  “Sidekick this.” Rhodey grabs onto a pole and starts slamming it into Tony until he goes through the roof above him into one of the bedrooms. He lets himself just lie on the floor for a few seconds thinking about why he’s doing this. 

  “Had enough?” Rhodey appears through the hole in the floor. He’s flying awkwardly, trying to stay balanced but constantly stumbling. 

  “Have you?” He flies forward and slams Rohdey into the floor sending them both down through to the room below. 

  Ahead of them is the crowd of partygoers starting through the glass walls but neither him nor Rhodey care. They just keep beating each other. Smashing their fists into one another and kicking out each others legs. 

  Rhodey might be good in a normal fight but when it comes to the suits there’s no match. While Tony has spent months in the suit, Rhodey has never been in one before. ALthough he puts up a good fight, eventually Tony smashes him into the side and he goes still. 

  Outside everyone is watching silently. Their phones are out filming the true Iron Man. Not the Iron Man from the games and the stories but the real one. Tony Stark. Just a dangerous man in a dangerous suit. 

  Something about their staring faces makes him snap. He sees every reporter and journalist that ever fucked him over. All those staring faces watching him. Waiting for him to do something stupid. 

  In a fit of rage he steps forward and screams at them all. Finally they all run away screaming, taking their cameras and judgemental looks with them.

  In the reflection of the glass he can see what he’s become. The monster standing in front of him. He’s wasted his second chance. After everything he’s still the same man he was when he went into that cave. No better or more accomplished. Just another Stark screw up. 

  Before he can react, Rhodey picks up a piece of rubble and slams it into him. He goes straight into the fireplace, his suit heating up uncomfortably. As the metal gets hotter and hotter it starts to singe his skin. Luckily he manages to get out of the fire place before any real damage is done but he can still feel the burning on his skin. 

  Slowly, he raises his repulsor. He knows what he has to do. He needs to lose this fight. He needs to lose and let Rhodey take the suit. That can be his one piece of good. If he’s going to die then he wants Rhodey to take over the mantle. There’s no one better suited to it. No one he can really trust to take the suit except for him. It’s the one thing he can do to make up for screwing Rhodey over so many times.

  “Put your hand down.” Rhodey raises his repulsor too. Both of them aiming at one another. 

  “You think you’ve got what it takes to wear that suit?” He goads Rhodey. 

  “We don’t have to do this Tony.” Rhodey tries to plead with him but Tony ignores his words. There’s no backing down.

  “You wanna be the War Machine, take your shot.” He keeps on goading, trying to push Rhodey to the edge. To annoy him enough to take the suit and fly away.

  “Put it down.” Rhodey’s voice becomes stern, losing any compassion it once had. 

  “You gonna take the shot?”

  “Put it down!”

  “No!”

  “Drop it Tony!”

  “Take it!”

  Both their repulsors fire off. The beams slam into each other, building up. A huge explosive all builds up where the blasts meet. It rapidly expands, consuming everything. 

  And then there’s only nothing.

  Tony goes flying backwards into the wall, the explosive blast completely knocking him off of his feet. 

  Darkness falls over the room for a few seconds. The suit is so damaged that it takes a while to actually be able to use the scanner again. When it finally turns on he watches as Rhodey flies off out of the building with the suit.

  Then only nothing. 

 

~~~

 

  “Hey.” Natalie comes and sits down beside him. He’s not sure when she got out of her party dress but she’s not in it anymore. Now she’s dressed down in a pair of black leggings and an oversized grey shirt with an arrow on it. Somehow she manages to actually look much better in her crappy lazy clothes. 

  There’s a mug of coffee in her hand which she offers to him. Despite the ringing in his head he shuffles closer to her and takes it. Despite his shaking hand he manages to mostly keep a hold of the mug.

  “Thanks.” It burns his tongue and mouth but he downs it anyway.

  “Party was a bit of a bust.” She hums, looking around at all the destruction.

  “It doesn’t matter.” He mumbles quietly. His hands till wrap around the mug even though it’s now empty. 

  “I suppose it doesn’t.” She whispers, “Do you trust me?” She asks him curiously, turning to face him. 

  He pauses for a second and sets down the mug. Although this face, Natalie, is just one big lie he surprisingly does. So many things about her are fake but there are still hints of the real person underneath. The woman with the scars. The one who played with Peter in the pool. The one with the kind eyes. 

  “I do.” 

  “Can you tilt your head to one side?” She asks and picks up a syringe that was resting behind her leg out of sight. She holds it up for him to see, waiting for him to give the go ahead. Despite his better judgement he nods, exposing her neck for him.

  As gently as possible she places her fingers on his neck to steady the syringe as she pushes it into his neck. It’s strange, he doesn’t feel uncomfortable or nervous despite her fingers touching his skin. There’s no instant fight or flight response.

  “So what’s your real name then?” He asks as she pushes down on the syringe. It burns for a second but then the pain from the palladium starts to fade away into nothing. 

  “Natasha Romanoff.” She mumbles without looking at him.

  “Wow, you really didn’t change that very much.” He chuckles as she finally removes the syringe from his neck.

  “It’s easier to not change too much. Make things more believable.”

  “What things? The lies?”

  She looks up at him curiously before responding.

  “Yes, the lies.”

  Both of them stare at one another. There’s something about her that’s oddly  _ honest _ . She’s a secret agent that’s been lying about almost everything ever since she met him but somehow she’s still one of the most honest and genuine people he’s met. What does that say about the people he knows?

  “Did you ever tell the guys back at S.H.I.E.L.D about Peter?” It’s a question he’s been wanting to ask since he first found out she was with S.H.I.E.L.D.

  “I didn’t.” She says quietly and he believes her, “Nor did Coulson, by the way. Not that it matters. I’m fairly sure Fury has known before any of us.” 

  “What did you just inject me with?” He runs his hand along his neck where he can feel the spot where the syringe pierced his skin.

  “Lithium oxide. It’s not a cure but it’ll alleviate the symptoms a little. It’s the best we could do at S.H.I.E.L.D.”

  “I know. I’ve tried everything. There’s no solution.” He grumbles and traces the shape of the arc reactor under his shirt.

  “How can you be so sure?” She shakes her head, dumbfounded.

  “Because I spent months working through every combination of elements and found nothing.” He sighs.

  He’s wasted so many months searching. Everything was a failure. Even once he’d tried everything he tried them all again. And again. They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

  “So you just give up?”

  “I decided to spend the last few weeks of my life the way I wanted to.” He growls.

  “And how did that work out for you?” She gestures to the large empty mansion.

  Everything broken, sold or taken. There’s nothing left here anymore. Rhodey has gone. Happy left. Pepper took Peter. Now it’s just him and Natasha. The man of iron and the secret agent.

  Shattered glass surrounds them both. Sunlight from the rising sun trickles through and shimmers off of the shards, dousing them both in sparkling light.

  Her dark red hair catches the sun and it’s like she’s been set on fire. Flames from her hair billow in the wind, dancing behind her gracefully. 

  “What do you suggest then?”

  “Don’t just give up. The darkest hours are right before the dawn.”

  “That’s a stupid quote. The darkest hour is right in the middle of the night, not before dawn.” He mumbles which makes Natasha glare at him, “Fine fine. But there’s nothing left to try.”

  “There’s always something left to try. You’ve gotten past every other hurdle life throws at you. Why not this one? What makes this one different?”

  “This time there’s nothing to build. Nothing to make.”

  “Isn’t there? Have you even tried to make something? You got through everything else with this.” She pokes his forehead gently, “So you’ve got to use it this time too.” 

  “I have no idea what you’re trying to say.” He wrinkles his nose up uncertainly.

  “Come on.” She groans and stands up, dragging him with her.

  He follows her down to the lab, staying quiet the whole time. As they approach the door she grabs his hand and presses it against the pad to allow them access into the room. However, instead of heading over to the work surfaces or hologram, she moves towards the locked storage room. 

  “J.A.R.V.I.S, do you mind?” She asks as she holds onto the door knob. 

  “Of course.” He obliges and quickly opens the door for them both. It’s just as dark and dusty as he remembers, not that he would expect that to change. Even when she turns on the lights it feels dark. 

  “What are we looking for?” He mumbles as she starts tearing through the boxes.

  “Some of your dad’s old Expo stuff.” She hums and keeps looking through the boxes. When Tony stays standing at the doorway she turns to, “Feel free to help out whenever you want.” 

  “You’re not going to find anything. I threw away all of Howards shit.”

  “Not everything.” Her forehead creases in concentration as she opens up on of the boxes right at the back, “Here we go.” She grabs the huge heavy box without issue and starts carrying it out of the room. He follows behind her, curiously.

  The side of the box has a single word written on it in Jarvis’ handwriting.  _ Tony _ . He’d always just assumed that was some of his old junk - never really bothered to look inside. He’d seen all these video reels she’s now getting out but never thought they’d be Howards. Why would he ever have a box full of video reels labelled Tony in a box?

  “You might wanna watch this.” She hands him the video reel, “I’m going to go get food. We might be here awhile if you continue being a stubborn idiot.”

  “You’re just going to go?” He looks around and frowns.

  “You got a problem with that?”

  “Yes! What am I supposed to be doing?”

  “You’re a smart boy. You’ll work it out.” She smiles sarcastically and walks out. 

  “Okay then...time to find an old movie player…” He mumbles.

  Surprisingly, it doesn’t take too long to find one. Tucked right in the back of the storage room is the old family movie player he had growing up. It’s in surprisingly good condition when he pulls it out and sets it up. In order to actually see anything J.A.R.V.I.S has to make the room darker, shutting out the light from the rising sun. There are still some lights on inside the room so he can read through some of the files inside that were also in the box. 

  At first the video just seems to be of the practice takes for his Expo video. It’s strange to watch but nothing revolutionary. Mostly the same stuff that was in the final video. Losing interest, he looks down at the files, giving up on watching the video. It’s still running in the background but it might as well be off. At least until he hears his own name being spoken. 

  “Tony! What are you doing back there? What is that?” The younger Tony in the video has picked up one of the buildings from the huge model city, “Put that back where you got it from. Where’s your mother? Maria?” Howard calls out but Maria doesn’t come. Instead one of Howard’s assistants comes in and picks Tony up to drag him out of the room. “Go on. Go, go, go.” 

  The video starts again, a few more takes go by, going back to the same old rubbish as before. Although he’s paying more attention now there nothing particularly special happening. He’s beginning to wonder whether Natasha picked the wrong reel out or something when Howard speaks again.

  “Tony. You’re too young to understand this right now so I thought I would put it on film for you. I built this for you.” Tony almost snorts at the statement. It’s hard to imagine the Howard he remembers ever making anything for anyone other than himself. “And someday you’ll realise that it represents a whole lot more than just people’s inventions. It represents my life’s work. This is the key to the future.” 

  It’s funny he’s never actually seen this video before but it’s oddly similar to his own image of the Expo. A gathering of inventions to better the future. To build a better place for Peter to grow up in. 

  “I’m limited by the technology of my time, but one day you’ll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is and always will be my greatest creation is you.” Howard smiles sadly on the video. It’s such a stark contrast to the father he had growing up. The one who sent him away and ignored him. Who never came to pick him up or spend time with him in the lab. 

  “Greatest creation, huh?” He mumbles to himself.

  His mind goes over to Peter. Peter with his little handmade repulsors. The kid who likes to play superheroes and make toys in the lab. In so many ways he reminds Tony of the kid he once was. A better version of that kid. Although Tony doesn’t feel much like anyone’s greatest creation, there’s no doubt that Peter is Tony’s greatest creation. Something good to come out of the Stark family. 

  “Hey, J?” Tony calls out quietly.

  “I’m here, sir.”

  “You mind helping me film something…”

  “Of course. I’m always ready to help. What would you like to call this video?” 

  “For now let’s just call it: Goodbye...”

 

~~~

 

  “Are you okay?” Natasha asks as she comes down the steps. She’s got a bag of Mc. Donalds in one hand and two milkshakes in the other.

  “Of course I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” He signals to J.A.R.V.I.S for him to cut out the video as Natasha starts walking towards her.

  “You learn anything interesting?” She asks curiously.

  “You already know exactly what I learnt.”

  “I actually don’t. I know there was a video but that’s all.” She explains and sets the bag down on the counter top.

  “How do you know about all this stuff?” He reaches into the bag and grabs himself a cheese burger. No matter what happens, these always make him feel better.

  “Because of S.H.I.E.L.D. Believe it or not but Howard was a member of S.H.I.E.L.D before he died. One of the founding members. Him and a certain Agent Carter founded the organisation.” SHe takes a huge bite of her own burger and leans back on the stool.

  Agent Carter...Aunt Peggy. Well that does explain a lot. He’s actually surprised he didn’t figure that out sooner. There’s no doubt she’s a secret agent. 

  Howard on the other hand.

  “He did?”

  “Yeah. Wasn’t as involved as Agent Carter but he still helped found it. Sometime after Captain America.” She takes another bite of the burger, “Anyway, did you figure out anything?”

  “Maybe. It’s a long shot but I have an idea.” He hums.

  He’s been thinking about it for a while now. What Howard’s message could’ve meant, if anything. The only thing his mind picks out is the model Howard had on the table. The model city. It’s what he gestured to when he was talking about the key to the future/

  “I’ll take any kind of shot right now.”

  “I just need the model city from the original Expo.” But even as he’s speaking Natasha is getting up.

  “It’s already waiting upstairs.”

  “How did you even get it?” His eyebrows knit together. That’s supposed to still be in the SI headquarters where he stored it after his parent’s deaths. 

  “I just went into Stark Industries and asked nicely.” He doesn’t want to know what ‘asked nicely’ means. It worked and that’s all that matters.

  “How did you know I would need it?”

  “I didn’t. Fury just told me to get it.”

  “Of course he did…” He doesn’t know whether he likes or hates Fury. Most likely a little bit of both, “Let’s get started then.”

  It ends up taking them longer to get the model downstairs than it does anything else. The huge pieces really aren’t designed to go through the narrower doors of the mansion. Especially not since they need to be trying to keep it all in one piece to prevent it getting damaged. 

  By the time they actually get it down they have to stop and have a long drink of coffee. While they drink he stares right at the model Howard had made. It represents his life’s work...the key to the future….

  “J.A.R.V.I.S, could you kindly Vac-U-Form a digital wire frame? I need a manipulatable projection.” He hums, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. There must be something here...something he’s not seeing yet. Some answer somewhere.

  “1974 Stark Expo model scan complete, sir.”

  He stands up and places his half full coffee mug on the side. Normally he’d never leave his coffee but right now he’s on a timer. A timer that’s gotten pretty low. 

  There’s now a hologram of the model hanging in midair in the middle of the lab. Although she doesn’t get up, he can see Natasha eyeing it up out of the corner of her eye.

  “How many buildings are there?” He mumbles and paces around the entire holographic model.

  “Am I to include the Belgian Waffle stands?”

  “That was rhetorical. Just show me.” He clicks his fingers and the hologram spins a few times before stopping vertically. 

  “What are you doing?” Natasha’s forehead wrinkles as she stands up and walks over to his side. 

  “Just testing something out…” He whispers, “What does that look like to you?” He turns to her and speaks louder this time.

  “Um...I don’t know. Some kind of atom?” She tilts her head to one side to try to get a different vantage point. It’s funny, even after all this she’s still surprising him.

  “Exactly. Which would make this -” He points to the large unisphere statue, “- the nucleus.” He looks over at Natasha but she’s engrossed in the hologram, trying to work through the same processes as Tony.

  “An atom...an atom of what?”

  “No idea yet. That’s what I’ve got to figure out.” He hums and tries to think it through logically. There’s definitely something. Some way of figuring out what this element is, “Highlight the unisphere. Lose the footpaths. Get rid of them.” He waves away the unnecessary bits and takes another look at what he’s left with.

  “Lose the landscaping, the shrubbery, the trees. Parking lots, entrances and exits.” He waves each away and can see a picture start to form. Natasha must be able to see it to as she steps closer and closer.

  “Structure the protons and neutrons using the pavilions as a framework.”

  Everything except for the unisphere fades away as JARVIS runs the program. Spots start appearing on the sphere as it starts gaining protons and neutrons. Slowly it all comes together until everything stops and he’s left staring at a wholly new element.

  Unable to contain his excitement, he reaches out and expands the nucleus as far as it can go so him and Natasha are completely surrounded by it. It’s just blue spots surround them in a sphere but it feels like so much more. It feels like hope. 

  Both him and Natasha look up in awe. He slowly turns around in a circle as he looks at the entirety of the nucleus. Even Natasha laughs as they stare up at it. It’s not everyday you get to discover a new element - well rediscover.

  “Dead for fifteen years and your still taking me to school.” He mumbles to himself through his smile. 

  “This should serve as a viable replacement for palladium.” J.A.R.V.I.S confirms. If Tony didn’t know any better he’d say the AI was smiling.

  “Thanks dad.” A sentence he thought he would never say...at least not again.

  “Unfortunately, it’s impossible to synthesise.” Some of the hope leaves J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice. But, as he looks at Natasha they notice neither of their eyes have dulled.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” She smirks and cocks her eyebrow.

  “Get ready for remodel mode, fellas. We’re going back into hardware mode.”

  They grab their sledge hammers and start tearing apart the lab. Piece of rubble surround them and dust spews everywhere but they’re both still grinning like idiots. Even with DUM-E, Butterfingers, U and Natasha it takes a while. They have to get huge pipes winding around in a huge circle through the mansion. It’s a good thing it’s big or they’d have to start moving outside too. 

  After a while he lets Natasha and the bots handle that as he starts working on the technical side. Wires are everywhere, linking all the different pipes and power sources. It’s all a chaotic mess but somehow they both make it work. 

  When they finally finish they both step back and admire their handy work. 

  “You know, Agent Romanoff, I think I quite like you.”

  “We make a fairly decent team.” She smiles and highfives him, “Are we ready to turn it on?”

  “I think so.” She chucks him the crystal block and moves out of the way, “You might want to move further.” He shoos her away but she stays in place. “Your funeral.” Hu mumbles under his breath. 

  Carefully he slides the crystal into the tube and locks it into place. He even grabs a wrench from the side to try and turn the valve.

  “Initialising prismatic accelerator.” J.A.R.V.I.S announces. A thin blue beam starts shooting through the pipes, coming into contact with the prism and getting refracted out of it. “Reaching maximum power.”

  Tony starts turning the valve using the wrench and slowly the beam travels along the wall, slicing through everything it touches. Everything is getting completely destroyed but it doesn’t matter because they’re almost there.

  Slowly the beam approaches the small triangular piece of metal that they set up. As soon as the beam touches it it begins glowing blue. Even when he turns off the accelerator it continues glowing brightly.

  “That was easy.” He mumbles and ducks under the pipe. Natasha follows him quietly, waiting to see if they’ve actually done it.

  “Well done sir. You’ve created a new element.” Tony carefully removes the glowing element with pliers and gently lays it down in the newly made arc reactor, “The arc reactor has accepted the modified core. I will begin running diagnostics.”

  “Would you look at that.” Tony grins and turns to Natasha.

  “What are you gonna name it?”

  “I dunno. I was thinking something like Starkanium.” He smirks and taps on the glass of the new reactor.

  “Ever the egotist.” She chuckles. 

  In reality he already knows exactly what he’s going to name it, and it’s not Starkanium. One day he’ll share the name but for now it’ll be his little secret. 

  “Care for a drink?” She holds up a bottle of champagne. Not his go to drink, nor her’s, but right now he doesn’t even care what he’s drinking because they did it. He’s actually going to see Peter again. Going to be able to do all those things he wanted to.

  “Is that even a question?”

  Just as they sit down to have a drink, the phone rings.

  “You going to pick that up?” She cocks her eyebrows and looks over at the phone.

  “And ruin the moment?”

  “It might be important.” She kicks him gently and takes the glass right out of his hand.

  “Fine…” He picks up the phone and presses the answer button. “What is it? You’re kind of ruining the moment right now.” He grumbles.

  “Hello again, Stark…” Ivan’s voice coo’s down the phone and his blood turns to ice, “I thought it was time for a little catch up.”

 

~~~

 

  “Come on, Peter. It’s about to start.” Aunt May calls to him from the crowd.

  There’s so many people everywhere that it’s hard to see anything. Although he’s trying to keep holding Aunt May and Uncle Ben’s hands, it’s hard to when everyone keeps pushing him.

  From down here he can’t even see anything. All the people are too in the way. It would be easier to see if he took his helmet off but he doesn’t want to. 

  When Pepper and him left late at night they didn’t have time to pick up his chestplate or anything so he only has his repulsors and helmet now but that’s okay. As long as he’s got his helmet he’s okay. He can be strong. Even when there’s all the people everywhere making it hard to see or breath, he’s okay. Afterall, Iron Man is always strong - he wouldn’t get scared of big crowds. He’s not a baby and nor is Peter.

  “Here, grab my hand.” Aunt May’s hand pops through all the bodies and reaches out to him. It’s warm and sweaty which makes it hard to hold on but he grabs a hold as tightly as he can. Hopefully he isn’t hurting her…

  He finally pushes through all the people so he’s standing next to them both again. With them here all the people move out of the way and stop bashing into him.

  “I think I’ll carry you now.” Uncle Ben chuckles and lift’s Peter up onto his shoulders. It’s a bit wobbly at first but soon it feels safe again. 

  Now everyone else is smaller than him. Is this what he looks like to everyone else? So teeny tiny. There are so many people in all directions, spreading out as far as he can see. Lots of people at the front are sitting down so they look even smaller.

  He’s so tall it’s like he can touch the sky. Maybe if he can just stretch up a little bit…. His hand reaches up to the ceiling but the sky is still a long way away. One day he’ll be tall enough to reach. He’ll be high up enough to touch the sky and go as high up as Dada does.

  “Look.” Uncle Ben nudges him slightly and nods to the stage. 

  There’s a man on stage but he can’t see who it is. They’re so far away that it’s hard to even see him properly.

  “Who is it.” He bends down and hisses to Uncle Ben.

  “Justin Hammer. He runs Hammer Tech.” Uncles Ben explains very very quietly.

 Hammer? Dada used to talk about Hammer. He’s not very good at making things. Dada used to laugh at him a lot. Wasn’t he the one who tried to make his own Iron Man suit. 

  “Dada doesn’t like him.” 

  “No he doesn’t.” Uncle Ben chuckles. Since he’s sitting in his shoulders he can feel him laughing. It bounces him up and down slightly and makes him feel all shaky. 

  “Ladies and gentlemen, for far too long this country has had to place it’s brave men and women in harm’s way. And then the Iron Man arrived and we thought the days of losing lives were behind us. Sadly, that technology was kept out of reach. That’s not fair. That’s not right. And it’s just too bad.” The man on the stage starts talking. Although he can’t see the man, his voice is very loud, even back here. It almost reminds him of J.A.R.V.I.S back at home.

  People around them start muttering. He can’t hear what they’re saying but they’re all putting on their cross faces. Even Uncle Ben and Aunt May who are normally happy and smiley are both looking cross. 

  “What is he saying?” Peter hisses but Uncle Ben shakes his head.

  “I’ll tell you later, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Regardless, it was an impressive innovation. And one that grabbed headlines the world over. Well, today my friends, the press is faced with quite a different problem. They are about to run out of ink.” 

  A few people clap but it only lasts for a second. He’s not sure why they’re supposed to be clapping but he claps a few times anyway. He feels sad for the man. Peter would feel sad if no one clapped for him.

  Music begins playing quietly somewhere as two people come and take the mans stand away. Without it in the way he’s able to walk around the middle of the stage while he talks to everyone. 

  “Ladies and gentlemen, today I present to you the new face of the military. The Hammer Drone!” He points behind him and a big film of lots of army men starts playing. The lights go all funny and start moving around as the music begins getting louder.

  “Army!” The man shouts and a part of the stage opens. From the hole in the floor lots of scary looking robots appear. They’re huge and gray and have big guns attached to them. Although they have nightlights in the middle of them just like Dada, they don’t look friendly. They’re so big they would probably stomp on all the little children that they’re trying to save. 

  “Navy!” He shouts and even more big robots come out of the ground. These ones look just the same but are blue this time.

  “Air force! Marines!” Every time he shouts out a word more and more robots come up to the surface. Each looks scarier than the last. They also all have nightlights in their chests and guns everywhere.

  Just when he thinks they’ve run out of robots the man starts talking again. There’s not much space left on the stage now but the man keeps talking anyway.

  “That’s a hell of a lot better than cheerleaders, let me tell you. But as revolutionary as this technology is there will always be the need for man to be present in the theatre of war. Ladies and gentlemen, today I am proud to present the first prototype in the Variable Threat Response Battle Suit and it’s pilot, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes.” The floor opens again but this time a suit just like Iron Man’s comes up from the ground. But just like everything else it’s darker and bigger and has lots more guns on it. This man must really like dark guns. He’s putting them everywhere - even where they don’t belong. 

  “What is Uncle Rho Rho doing up there?” He frowns. If Dada doesn’t like this man then what’s Uncle Rho Rho doing with him. 

  When Pepper took him on the plane with Happy she said Uncle Rho Rho was going to look after Dada. If he’s here then who’s going to look after him and help him work in the lab? It doesn’t make any sense…

  “I have no idea Peter…” Aunt May mumbles and moves closer to Uncle Ben.  

  As Uncle Rho Rho salutes, all the robots behind him salute too. Somehow the robots even make the salute look scary.

  It might be him being silly but he doesn’t feel good. Something feels wrong. He can’t stop thinking that something is going to go bad.

  “For America and its allies, Hammer Industries is reporting for -” But Peter never hears the end because a loud rumbling cuts him off. A familiar rumbling. 

  Even though he’s on Uncle Ben’s shoulders he turns around to look for the sound. Sure enough, a bright light is zooming down from the roof right down to the stage. It looks like a shooting star but Peter already knows what it is. He’s spent so many nights looking at the sky and watching as Iron Man drops back down to the ground.

  “Dada!” He shouts out and points to the stage where Dada landed excitedly. Uncle Ben holds a finger to his lips to tell him to be quiet but luckily everyone is clapping and shouting too loudly to hear him.

  Now it all makes sense. Why Uncle Rho Rho would be here and why Pepper would take him to the Expo. They were just getting here a bit earlier than Dada, that’s all. Him and Uncle Rho Rho were just planning a little surprise.

  But the more he watches the more the scary feeling comes back. Even with Dada here something feels...wrong…. Even so, he’s still scared when Uncle Rho Rho’s gun moves and points right at Dada. It’s not just his gun. All of the guns on all of the big robots point at Dada.

  All the people begin screaming and running as soon as the guns are raised. Some of them knock into Uncle Ben which pushes Peter off of his shoulders and onto the floor. His head his the ground but people just keep running past him. None of the stop. When he turns around he can’t see Uncle Ben or Aunt May anymore. 

  It’s hard to stand up with everyone knocking into him so much but he manages it. Every time he tries to move back to where Uncle Ben and Aunt May were, people knock him off course. He’s not able to move in any direction except in the one everyone else is going. 

  Above him he can just about see Dada flying up into the air with all the robots and Uncle Rho Rho following him. They disappear into the sky leaving Peter behind.

  Pepper and Nat must be here somewhere too but he can’t see anyone. All the people are too tall for him to see. 

  Instead of trying to keep on pushing he just follows everyone else. If everyone is going this way then maybe Uncle Ben and Aunt May also went this way. However when he gets outside he still can’t see them anywhere. 

  It’s not just people outside now - it’s the robots too. They’re chasing people around with all their big guns. As Dada flies by they start shooting their guns up into the air making rocks fall down on everyone. There’s so much screaming and shooting that he can’t figure out where he’s supposed to be going.

  Finally he stops still and takes a deep breath. People keep pushing past him but he manages to stay still this time. Carefully, he readjusts his helmet so it’s properly on his face. As long as he’s got the helmet he’s brave…

  Even as one of the robots begins coming towards him he stays still. Iron Man wouldn’t run. Iron Man never runs. He’s a brave strong superhero. 

  What would Iron Man do? 

  He would fight them all off and save everyone.

  Keeping both eyes on the big scary robot, he raises his repulsor. It stops still and stares at him sinisterly. As Peter raises his repulsor, the robot raises it’s gun. Now it’s point right at his head but he still stays still. 

  Before the robot gets a chance to shoot, there’s a loud thud behind him. Suddenly the gun moves off of Peter and focuses just behind him. Within a second, there’s a bright light and the robot collapses on the ground. Broken.

  Dada grabs a hold of him and hugs him tight. The Iron Man suit is all though and hard but he loves hugging him anyway. Dada hugs and Iron Man hugs are both nice. 

  “You need to get out of here, Peter.” The Iron Man face leaves so Peter can see Dada again, “Where are your Aunt and Uncle?” Dada looks around but he can’t see them either.

  “I don’t know. I got lost.” 

  “Pepper is in here too - you need to try and find her. I want to stay and help you but if you’re with me you’ll just be in more danger. If you can’t find one of them just go inside and hide somewhere.” He speaks really really fast but Peter can still understand him. As gently as he can, he reaches down and takes off Peter’s Iron Man helmet, “You can’t wear that right now. Not until all the drones have gone, okay?” Peter nods quickly, “Good. Stay safe. Me and Nat are going to get rid of all of these.”  

  He steps back and shoots off just as one of the robots come up behind him. Instead of stopping and aiming at Peter, it shoots off after Dada and flies up into the night sky. Lots of other ones follow after it forming one big line.

  Follow Dada’s advice, he throws the helmet onto the floor to one side. Even though he doesn’t want to he trusts Dada.

  Instead of hanging around outside, he runs straight back indoors. Everyone else has left the room which means there are lots of empty chairs everywhere. As quietly as he can, he sneaks over and hides underneath one of the chairs. There are still lots of the drones stood silently on the stage. None of them are moving, their guns just waiting quietly.

  He might not have the helmet anymore but he’s still got to be brave. As brave as Iron Man.

  As he lays there in the silence he listens for all the noises. People are still screaming outside. He can hear the big robots footsteps stomping around outside. Their guns are still shooting but they’re not as often anymore. Only a few shots every now and then.

  Suddenly footsteps start echoing around the room. 

  Loud footsteps.

  He curls up in a ball under the chair, trying to hide himself. It’s hard because he’s getting big now but for once he’s happy he’s still quite little. Dada would never be able to curl up under here.

  “PETER?!” Pepper shouts out as the footsteps get closer. Pepper’s here! If Pepper is here then he’ll be okay. Afterall, she’s the big boss.

  Staying quiet, he crawls out from under the chair and peeks out to where her voice is coming from. Pepper is walking towards him, shouting out as she looks for him.

  “I’m here.” He stands up so she can see him. Instantly, she starts running towards him, checking him over for any cuts or bruises.

  “Thank god! May and Ben were worried sick about you. They called me saying they’d lost you.” 

  “I got lost.” He mumbles.

  Now that Pepper’s here he can’t stop the tears from running down his face. Even after all this he’s still crying. 

  “Hey, it’s okay.” She pulls him into a hug, “I’m here now. I’m not going to leave you alone.”

  As he clings to her he lets the tears keep falling. Sometimes maybe it’s okay to not be brave.

 

~~~

 

  After everything he was still too late. As soon as they got the call from Ivan they’d flown right to New York but it was too late anyway. They’d failed to stop Ivan before people got hurt.

  While Tony had gone straight for the Expo, Natasha had used one of the S.H.I.E.L.D planes to go to Hammer’s headquarters. Their hope now rests in her ability to shut down his drones and deal with Ivan. For now Tony’s just going to keep buying her time as he leads the drones away from civilians.

  There’s only one pack of drones left now. He weaves through the area, leading them as far away from the Expo and people as possible. Rhodey is still hot on his tail with all his guns pointed right at Tony. There’s nothing like a good battle to test run the new arc reactor core.

  As fun as it is being chased around the city, he really needs to start getting rid of these dudes. Sooner or later one of their attacks are going to land and that’ll be it. This time he really will die. Unfortunately, wherever he goes there are people. Although the drones are supposed to be targeting Tony alone, all their stray bullets and explosives are being fired right into the crowds of innocent people below. Every time he tries to shake them off he’s putting those people in danger.

  At that moment the unisphere comes into view. Looking at the metallic structure and idea begins coming together in his mind. The very thing that saved him just a few hours ago is now going to save him again. 

  “Rhodey? You still locked on?” He shouts through the comms to his friend. This communication is the only thing he has right now. Although Ivan has taken over the suit, they haven’t taken Rhodey. Even locked up in a suit he can’t move he’s proving helpful.

  “Yeah.”

  “Drop your socks and grab your crocs, we’re about to get wet on this ride.”

  J.A.R.V.I.S pulls up the schematics of the unisphere and starts plotting their course. A way through the metal globe structure that will cause maximum damage to the bulky drones.

  Unlike Tony’s suits, the drones are heavy and built only for attack. There’s nothing graceful or delicate about their movements. No agility. If he can fly through the globe in the right way he can smash all of the drones into the structure as they won’t be able to make the quick turns.

  Instead of slowing down, he starts speeding up through the fountains leading up to the globe. Water covers the suit completely but none of that matters. The course is already set. As he speeds up, Rhodey and the drones also speed up. The faster the better. As the speed increases, the drones agility decreases.

  “Wait, wait, wait!” Rhodey calls out but Tony blanks him. He just keeps going faster and faster. At this point there’s no turning back. 

  He slips through the metal beams of the sphere, making the gap as tight as possible and starts flying straight into the large metal wall on the opposite side of the globe. Holding his repulsors out in front of him he quickly deccelerates, coming to a stop centimeters away from the metal sheet. 

  As soon as he’s stopped, he repositions the repulsors to fire him up and out of the globe, wasting as little time as possible. Hot on his tail, the drone follow behind him. Some of them smash into the initial beams and explode on impact. The rest of the drones are unable to make the quick upwards turn and slam into the metal sheet. Their explosions join together to form one huge fireball consuming the unisphere. The only thing to make it out of the sphere is Rhodey in his War Machine suit.

  “Sorry buddy, had to thin out the herd. What’s your twenty?” At that very moment Rhodey collides with him, knocking both of them into the glass dome beneath them. Both of them come crashing down into what looks like some kind of enclosed forest. They skim along a stream and come to a halt on a bed of rocks.

  Unable to rest for even a second he jumps up and charges straight at Rhodey who’s still getting up. Before Tony can deal with him, he throws Tony to the ground and starts shooting. A deadly hail of bullets rains down right beside his head, getting steadily closer and closer. Just when he thinks he can’t take it anymore, the bullets stop and Tony is able to throw Rhodey off of him. 

  “Reboot complete. You’ve got your best friend back.” Natasha’s voice speaks through the comms.

  “I was beginning to think you’d let me down there Romanoff.” He chuckles with relief. She’d done it. If she’s gotten in and onto his servers then there’s still a chance. A way to fix all of this.

  “I thought you said you trusted me.” He can practically hear her smirking.

  “Yeah well that was when I was dying.” He chuckles.

  “What do you mean you were dying?!” Peppers crackling voice joins in the conversation, “Did you just say you were dying?” 

  Uh oh...

  “Is that you? Uh, no. I’m not. Not anymore.” He tries to keep his voice level as if there’s nothing to discuss. Obviously that does nothing to calm down Pepper though. 

  “What’s going on?” She hisses.

  “I was going to tell you -”

  “You were going to tell me? You really were dying.” She doesn’t even let him finish his sentence. Instead her voice cuts in to yell at him.

  “You didn’t let me -”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that!” Panic fills her voice as she shouts at him. 

  “I was going to make you an omelette and tell you.” He’d really hoped they’d be able to have this conversation smoothly but at least it’s out of the way now. 

  “Save it for the honeymoon. You’ve got incoming, Tony. Looks like the fight’s coming to you.” Natasha cuts them both off, dragging Tony back into the fight.

  Of course it had been optimistic to hope that that had been the end of it. It never ends with these guys. They just keep on ticking no matter what you throw at them.

  “Great…. Pepper -”

  “You’re okay now?” She finally calms down slightly.

  “I’m fine. Don’t be mad. I will formally apologise when I’m -”

  “I am mad.” She cuts him off again, speaking over him.

  “- not fending off a Hammeroid attack.” 

  “Fine.”

  “We could’ve been in Venice.” He adds even though the conversation is supposed to be over. 

  “Oh please.”

  With that, the coms cut off and Tony is left in the silence once again. Water is rushing all around him from the waterfalls drowning out most of the noise. It’s not the ideal place for a showdown but it’ll have to do. At least they have two of them this time and - although he’ll never admit it out loud - it’s going to be nice to have the War Machine’s weapons when the droids do show up.

  Carefully, he taps on the faceplate of the War Machine suit. It’s still spread eagled, unmoving in the stream. Since Tony pushed him off he’s been completely stationary. He better not have gone and gotten himself knocked out right before the battle starts. That would be one of the worst case scenarios.

  “Hello?” He taps again and waits for a reaction, “Snap out of it buddy. I need you. They’re coming. Come on, let’s get up.” He taps a few more times just to be sure. 

  After a few seconds the faceplate finally opens to reveal Rhodey looking not dead. He’s half asleep but right now he’ll take what he can get.

  “Oh man. You can have your suit back.” He groans but there’s no way Tony is taking it back. Not when it’s been so defiled by Hammer. Besides, Rhodey deserves it. 

  Tony grabs a hold of one of Rhodey’s arms and carefully hoists him up. They stand side by side, watching each other uncertainly. 

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Rhodey takes a deep breath in, “Tony, look, I’m sorry. Okay?”

  “Don’t be.” It’s his fault all of this happened. As usual, he’d been the one to screwed up, not Rhodey. 

  “No. I should’ve trusted you more.” After everything Rhodey is once again beating himself up. It’s funny, Tony doesn’t even feel like Rhodey didn’t trust him. There are so many worse things he could’ve done. Besides, taking the suit was what Tony had wanted - even if Rhodey didn’t know it.

  “I’m the one who put you in this position. Forget it.” Tony waves it off. Now is not really the time to be talking about this.

  “No, it’s your fault. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you. That’s all I wanted to hear. Partner.” He pauses for a second, “They’re coming in hot, any second. What’s the play?”

  Tony might’ve made these suit but he’s never been the tactician. Not really. He’s more of a spur of the moment kind of guy and although it’s worked out pretty okay so far now’s not really the time to be testing out his improvisation skills. 

  Rhodey on the other hand actually has some experience in this area. As much as he mocks the guy, it’s quite a feat to become a colonel in the army. Battle strategies are his forte.

  “Well, we want to take them on the high ground okay. So let’s put our biggest gun up on that ridge.” He points up at an overhanging ledge in the distance.

  “Got you.” Both of them start moving up towards the ridge, not bothering to check what the others doing. They’ve moved a couple of steps before Rhodey holds out an arm to stop him. “Where do you wanna be?”

  “Where are you going?” Rhodey frowns and looks around the area.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I meant me.” Rhodey points at himself. As if, there’s no way he’s the big gun. 

  “You have a big gun. You’re not  _ the _ big gun.” He snorts. Big guns are great and all but there’s no way Rhodey is the big gun in all of this.

  “Tony, don’t be jealous.” Rhodey smirks.

  “No. It’s subtle, all the bells and whistles.” Tony smirks and looks down at the decked out suit. Unlike Tony’s, Rhodey’s overcrowded with weapons. Jam packed with every type that Hammer tech had to offer.

  “Yeah, it’s called being a badass.” 

  The argument takes him right back. Some things never do change. People might grow up but at heart they’re still the same idiots from MIT.

  “Fine. Alright. You go up top. I’ll draw them in.” Tony concedes and steps back. Just for once he’ll let Rhodey have it. It can be his way of making it up to him.

  They start going their own separate ways but only a few steps later Rhodey stops them again.

  “Don’t stay down here, this is the worst place to be.”

  “Okay, you got a spot. Where’s mine?” Despite the place being large there’s really not all that many places to go. They’re out of options really. Besides, this place doesn’t look  _ that _ bad...it could be worse.

  “It’s the kill box, Tony. Okay? This is where you go to die.”

  Of course it’s a that exact moment that the drones start flying in. Neither of them have time to get up to the higher ground. Each of the drones is landing to form a circle around the pair of them. If they try to move at all the drones will just tear them to pieces.

  As usual they’re trapped in the kill box. Just for once he’s like to be trapped in the box of good fortune or the ‘we’ll leave you alone’ box. This time it’s Rhodey’s fault. He couldn’t keep his mouth shut and now look where it’s gotten them both.

  They stand back to back, readying themselves for the onslaught. There’s a few seconds where they just watch each other. The drones stays completely still, their guns ready and waiting. Neither him nor Rhodey dare move as if a single movement will set them all up.

  At the last second they lower their faceplates and brace themselves. Bullets start firing in every direction. It’s a good thing the armour is tough or they’d both be killed instantly.

  While Rhodey uses his machine guns to tears the droids into pieces, Tony is forced to stick to repulsor blasts. They might not be as rapid fire but they’re ten times more powerful - knocking each out in a single hit.

  As they get closer and closer he even starts ripping through them with his own hand and kicking their heads off. It’s messy and chaotic and completely on the fly but as long as they’re both alive he has no issues with that. 

  Although he does have small missiles stored in his gauntlets, he tries his best to save them. Unlike Rhodey he doesn’t have seemingly endless ammo. His suit was never really designed as a weapon - an issue he’s now starting to see.

  Despite all their efforts they’re being completely overwhelmed. There’s attackers in every direction and the circle is slowly closing in around them. Every time they mow one down, another two pop up in its place. There’s only one hope left now.

  “Rhodey, get down!” He shouts out over the machine gun fire. Without a second’s hesitation he ducks down as low as he can go in the bulky suit. It's not perfect but it should do.

  Tony raises his arms into a cross as fast as he can. The gauntlets flash red as he primes his last line of defence. Despite everything, this still doesn’t quite feel like the final battle. Something’s off. He’d been hoping to save this attack but there’s no point saving it if they’re both dead. 

  With Rhodey still bent down he spins right round in a circle. The two red beams shooting out of the gauntlets spin around with him and slice absolutely everything. Trees split in half and fall to the ground round them. All the droids in the path of the laser are cleanly cut in a matter of seconds. Their bodies tumble to the ground lifelessly - completely beaten.

  Slowly the lasers fade away leaving only Rhodey and Tony alive. Rubble and destruction surrounds them.

  “Wow. I think you should lead with that next time.” 

  “Yeah, sorry boss. I can only use it once. It’s a one-off.”

  “Heads up, there’s one more drone in coming. This one looks significantly different. The repulsor signature is significantly higher.” Natasha ruins the moment by speaking through the coms. He’d been expecting to hear it but that doesn’t mean he’s happy about it. It seems Ivan is finally going to come out and play.

  Sure enough, there’s a bright light as a final suit drops down from the sky into the kill box with them. Unlike the other drones, this one is considerably larger and clearly piloted. It’s so large it could probably rival Obadiah’s. Are these suits just going to keep getting bigger and bigger? People always seem to think bigger is better. These guys must really have something to make up for.

  The faceplate slowly folds away to reveal Ivan staring back at him. He’s smirking as widely as ever - practically sneering. 

  “Good to be back.” He chuckles and stares down at the pair of them like the battle is already won. He raises his arms in a cross just like Tony did earlier. However instead of a red light appearing, a blue crackling whip appears from each of the arms. 

  “This ain’t gonna be good.” Rhodey groans, “I got something special for this guy. I’m gonna bust his bunker with the ex-wife.”

  “With the what?”

  One of the shoulders rises from the suit to reveal a small missile. It takes a few seconds to charge up before launching right at Ivan’s suit. But instead of exploding it bounces off harmlessly and fizzles on the ground. There are a few sparks but nothing else. Even if it was a firework that would be unimpressive.

  “Hammer tech?” No other company produces weapons that are so impressively disappointing everytime. 

  “Yeah.”

  “I got this.” If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. 

  He pulls up his missile system and locks onto Ivan’s face. There’s only a low chance this is going to work but he launches the missiles anyway. Although they collide with his head, he’s already pulled up the faceplate by the time they hit so they do next to nothing. They don’t even slow the guy down as he begins charging at them with his whips. Even Rhodey’s machine gun does nothing as Ivan jist slices it in two with his whips. 

  When Tony tries to fly away to get a better angle the whips wrap around him and drag him back down to the ground. His head slams against a rock causing his ears to start ringing but he gets up anyway. One more hit on the head isn’t going to hurt, right?

  Nothing either of them can throw at him are able to do anything. He’d forgotten how much he hated the whips. Although they lack power they’re surprisingly effective. They wrap easily around Rhodey, dragging him up close to Ivan only to be smashed away across the area as Ivan punches him. 

  Tony uses the moment to come up behind and land a few solid punches but in the end the whip binds him again. With Tony bound by one whip, the remaining whip lashes out and grabs a hold of Rhodey. Both of them are completely trapped and unable to move. No amount of struggling is going to free them.

  There’s no way he’s going to give up now. He’s already cheated death once today. After everything he’s done he’s not losing to a guy like this. Not losing to his father’s legacy. There’s always a way out - even if it means creating a whole new element. 

  “Rhodes. I got an idea. You wanna be a hero?”

  “What?”

  “I could really use a sidekick. Put your hand up.” He shouts out, not caring that Ivan can probably hear him. If he wants to stop their attack then he’s going to have to let go of them which would still be a win. 

  “This is your idea?”

  “Yep.”

  “I’m ready. I’m ready! Go, go, go!” Both of them raise their hands up into the air, not aiming at Ivan but at each other. Once again their beams collide with one another and form a white hot explosive ball right in the middle. In exactly the spot where Ivan is stood. Vibrations tear through the area, knocking both of them off of their feet. The whips go slack and fall off of them, allowing them to go free. 

  Both of them free themselves and walk over to the wreckage that was once Ivan’s suit. Everything, even his body, has been blasted apart. Although he’s not quite dead yet - he will be any second now.

  With his last breaths he looks up at both of them hauntingly. 

  “You lose.” He sneers right as his head drops back down, dead.

  As soon as his eyes close the arc reactor on his suit changes from white to red. It’s not just his reactor, though - it’s all of them. Every reactor from every single drone. All of them flash and beep loudly as they prime themselves. 

  “All these drones are rigged to blow. We gotta get out of here, man.” Rhodey yells and start backing up.

  But Tony isn’t thinking about them. Not right now. Because Tony’s left a trail of these throughout the city. They’re everywhere. Right now there could be innocent people around them. There are even some back at the Expo - back where he left Peter.

  “PETER!” He yells. 

  Although Rhodey jets straight up for the opening they came in from, Tony veers to the side. Even with the suit damaged he cranks up the speed as far as it will go. There’s no telling how long they have until these things blow. It could be seconds it could be minutes. 

  “Natasha! Pepper! Do you copy?” He shouts through the coms.

  “What is it?” Natasha’s voice comes through instantly.

  “The drones are rigged to blow and Peter’s still at the Expo somewhere.”

  “He’s with Pepper. They’re both somewhere near the Expo. I’ll link you the coordinates.” She wastes no time sending them over. As soon as she says the words the map links itself up to the screen, flashing up in front of him. 

  He tries to force himself to go faster and faster but the speed stays the same. It physically  _ can’t _ go any faster. As soon as he’s done here he’s going to have to make this thing go faster. 

  He doesn’t let himself feel relief even as he catches sight of Pepper and Peter ahead of him. She’s holding onto Peter, keeping him close to her chest as they stand right in front of one of the drones. 

  He flies straight towards them without any warning and grabs a hold of Pepper. Both of them scream as he carries them right up into the air but they don’t let go.

  Underneath them the drone explodes producing a huge fireball which chases them up into the air. All of the other drones around the city all explode too simultaneously. The entire area is set alight as if it’s all one large spectacular light show. He prays that there’s no one else down by any of them but doesn’t even slow down. Doesn’t dare look back until his dropped both of them off on the roof of a building. 

  “Are you both alright?” He asks as he tears his sparking helmet off. Every piece of his suit is battered and broken. He should probably get out 

  “We’re okay. We’re okay.” She hugs Peter close to her. The hug is so tight there’s literally no space for him to move around but he doesn’t seem to care. 

  Silent tears trickle down his face, washing away the soot and grime that’s settled on his skin. His eyes have closed as tightly as possible, all of his facial features wrinkling up. Even his fists closed tightly around the material of her shirt.

  “I’m okay.” He whispers through his tears. Slowly Pepper releases him, letting him go over to hug Tony, “Thank you for saving me.”

  “I’ll always be there to save you, kiddo.” He mumbles into Peter’s curly brown hair. Soot is getting into his mouth but he doesn’t dare move from that position.

  “I know you will.” In spite of everything, he smiles brightly.

  “You really need to stop doing this to us.” Pepper sniffles, red faced, “I can’t take it! We can’t take it.”

  “I know, I know.” He mutters and lets go of Peter.

  “No you don’t. You don’t know what it’s like to care about you.”

  “You care about me, huh?” He smirks. 

  “Of course I care about you stupid! What kind of question is that?” Her voice goes higher pitch as tears start threatening to appear. 

  "Come here." He opens up his arms to hug her. After a few seconds she shuffles over to him, wrapping her arms around him, "I care about you too."

  "I know." She sniffles, her arms tightening around him. 

  As she looks up at him their eyes meet again. It’s just like the piano again. While Peter had interrupted them before he’s not letting Peter interrupt this time. Before anything goes wrong he bends down, bringing their lips together. Her hand snakes up to his neck, pulling him close.

  Peter’s grips onto their legs, finally forcing them apart. As they all stand in the silence together, the light from the arc reactor shines over them. Light shining right from it’s Parkanium core.


	9. Youth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter starts school

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so this is a week and two days late (so sorry about that), my family were here for ages which meant I was literally only able to start writing last sunday

**Now I'm just chasing time with a thousand dreams I'm holding heavy and as we cross the line these fading beats have all been severed. Don't tell me our youth is running out it's only just begun**

**\- Youth, Foxes**

 

~~~

 

  “I don’t want you to go!” Peter clings onto Natasha but is doing absolutely nothing to slow her down. 

  “I’m not going to be gone forever. I’ll still come by and visit when I can.” Her attempt to reassure has absolutely no effect on Peter. He still fiercely clings to her. Tony has to walk over and carefully pry Peter off to give her some space. 

  “Come on, Pete. We’ll still see her, just not every day.” Tony tries to reassure Peter but he keeps on pouting with his puppy dog eyes. 

  “Why not? Why can’t she still be your assistant?” He sniffles over dramatically, his lower lip wobbling. His entire face has crumpled up forcing his crocodile tears to trickle down his red cheeks. 

  “She’s got her own job to do.”

  “Why does she have a different job?” He crosses his arms and stomps his foot, finally relaxing his crumpled up face. 

  “Can I tell you a big secret?” She leans forward and whispers to Peter. He nods excitedly and tries to move his ear closer to her, “I’m a spy.”

  “A spy?” He gasps, miraculously stopping crying. It's almost as if he was never really crying in the first place…!

  “Yep.”

  “Why were you here?” Peter frowns as he tries to piece everything he knows together. He even puts on his 'Pepper face' (as Tony likes to call it). 

  “To take care of your Dada, of course. To make sure he didn’t get himself into any trouble and that no one took him away from you.” Natasha says completely seriously. It's almost touching to hear her say that, even though he knows it isn't true. 

  “Who’s going to take care of him now though?”

  “Well Peter, it’s a job I’m going to pass down to you. Here take this.” She reaches into her pocket and pulls out an incredibly small knife in a leather sheath. It’s not ornate or pretty like anything Tony would buy. In fact it almost looks like it was handmade by a child. Instead of having a metal handle it’s got a wooden one that’s been neatly whittled down. As she pulls it out of the sheath Tony can see the perfectly clean, polished blade attached to the crude handle. While the rest looks dirty, the blade has been diligently cleaned by hand regularly.

  “It’s only to be used if there’s no other choice - to protect yourself and your family, not to hurt people. It’s sharp enough to cut you badly so you need to be very careful. So far it’s only been used to hurt people but I believe you might finally be able to use it to help people instead.” 

  Peter cautiously takes it once she’s put the sheath back on the blade. He holds it in both hands like it's the holy grail. If Pepper finds out she’ll be furious but for now it can be their little secret. It might not be the usual gift you give a kid who’s almost five years old but Peter isn’t exactly a normal kid. After everything that’s happened maybe it would be best if he had some kind of protection. Especially after Obadiah tied him up that time. 

  “I’ll be leaving my report on Fury’s desk in the morning.” She turns to Tony now, resuming the same professional expression she’d had when she was posing as Natalie Rushman. Once again wearing her perfect mask. 

  “Anything good in it?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

  The report was what Fury had sent her here to do. To analyse Tony and deduce whether he was fit to join their little superhero boy band - or just normal band considering Natasha’s spot amongst the rooster. After years of being trained to read and analyse other people he can’t help but be curious about the ex-assassins analysis of him. 

  “I’m afraid that’s confidential, Mr. Stark. However I’m sure you’ll be hearing directly from the director himself soon enough. 

  “I look forward to it.”

  In the weeks that follow there’s no word from Natasha or Fury. No debriefing, no verdict - not even a visit. He almost lets himself forget it all happened - Afghanistan, Obadiah, the Arc Reactor, Vanko. All of it. Almost but not quite.

  Over the last two years alone their lives have been completely upturned. Everything they once had completely torn into shreds. Peace, safety and normality all gone. Sure, they’d never been normal before but this was different. He’d almost lost Peter and Pepper twice and they’d almost lost him three times. After everything they need a little normality and some distance from S.H.I.E.L.D could give them exactly that. 

  “I wanna move.” He mumbles as quietly as possible into the dark.

  Him and Pepper are lying in his bed - _their bed_ now - in the dark. The sound of her shifting is the only way he can tell she’s actually awake as it’s too dark to see her. Unlike him she normally falls asleep quite quickly so he’s surprised to hear her still awake.

  It’s still strange to have her around the mansion. Although she’d spent most of her time around the place before, she’d always gone back to her own apartment at the end of the day. Even though they’ve only been together for a few weeks she has practically moved in. There are still days when she goes back to her own place instead of sleeping beside Tony but those days are few and far between. 

  “Move? Move where?” Pepper props herself up on the pillow so she can get a better look at him.

  In the moonlight he can just about make out her scruffy outline. Although in the waking hours she’s the image of pristine perfection, the mornings and nights are different. Somehow her scruffy bed hair and sleepy expression only makes him like her even more. The side of her no one else gets to see.

  “Back to New York. We could build some place in the city A headquarters for you and a home for us.” He’d considered moving before all the Vanko stuff but because of the palladium poisoning he’d never done anything about it. What’s the point when you’ll never get to see the end result?

  “Back to New York? You really wanna go back there?” She mumbles sleepily. 

  After everything he’d done to bury New York and his memories of his parents he’d never thought he’d go back. A few visits up for SI business was one thing, but actually living there? That was a whole other can of worms. However, after everything maybe the change is exactly what they need.

  “So much of SI is still based over there and it could be a good place for Peter to go to school.” They hadn’t brought up the topic of school yet. It’s something that was eventually going to happen - they can’t keep him sheltered his whole life - but they’d always put it aside for a later date.

  “Can’t he just attend a school here? I’m sure there’s plenty of great schools nearby.”

  “If we go back to New York he can be registered as living with Ben and May.” It’s not a perfect plan but it’s better than their other options. 

  “Are you sure? I know how you feel about the place. We can figure out something else if we need to.”

  “I’m sure. I think it’ll be good for us.”

  They get started planning the Stark Tower the very next day - using Tony’s basic plans as a base. Even with all of Tony’s tech and money they’re still working on it as August rolls around. It’s impressive to have gotten so much done in so little time but he still wishes it could be faster.

  When Peter’s birthday comes around they’re still living in the Malibu mansion but it’s not like that really affects anything. Although the original guest list only included Rhodey, Ben, May, Pepper, Happy and Peggy the group ends up being larger.

  They’re all sat around in the living room eating cake when the doorbell rings. None of them are sure how to react so they all just sit there, listening to see if they try to ring again. It’s only after the second ring that Peter and Tony finally get up to open the door only to find a familiar face waiting for them.

  “Hey Peter.” Natasha crouches down just as Peter barrels into her, wrapping her arms around him and lifting him up into the air.

  “Auntie Nat! You came to visit!” His words are muffled as his face is buried in her shoulder but they can still just about hear him, “I thought you’d forgotten about me!”

  “I’d never forget about you, I was just busy.” She brushes right over the name Peter had given her. Even though he’s never called her that before it sits well. It’s just as natural as when he calls May Aunt.

  “It’s my birthday today.” Peter points to the large pointed party hat that’s on his head. It’s bright red and sparkly with the number five printed on the front just like everyone else’s.  

  “I know, that’s why I stopped by. We were in the area when I realised it was the 10th. I hope you don’t mind that I brought my friend with me.” She steps to the side so they can all get a good look at the person accompanying her.

  Surprisingly Tony hadn’t even realised the person was there until Natasha mentioned them. Her friend, a man with dirty blonde hair, looks like he’d just downed a pot of coffee and gotten dressed with his eyes closed - not the kind of person he’d imagine being friends with Natasha. The only thing that hints at their connection is the SHIELD logo stitched onto the arm of his short sleeved purple shirt and the pocket of his black cargo pants. 

  “This is Cli -” The man nudges Natasha to cut her off, “Hawkeye.” She rolls her eyes with a sigh.

  What kind of a name is Hawkeye? Some kind of codename like how Natasha is the Black Widow? Do all the S.H.I.E.L.D agents have code names or is it only a privilege awarded to certain agents?

  “Tasha’s told me a lot about you, Peter. You seem to have made quite the impression.” He ruffles Peter’s hair with a chuckle which displaces the red party hat.

  “Clint and I were just in the area after a mission. I hope you don’t mind us stopping by.” 

  “It’s fine - we’re not that busy really.” He moves out of the doorway to allow them entry.

  Even if the other guy - Clint - is S.H.I.E.L.D Tony doesn’t trust him in the slightest. It’s only because of Natasha that he’s even going to let the guy in. He said he trusted her and he still does. This time he’ll have to trust her judgement.

  All of them head into the living room where everyone else is gathered, taking seats on the couch. They all greet Clint warmly despite having never met him. It's especially interesting to see Clint and Natasha's reactions to Peggy's presence. While Clint doesn't seem to have even noticed her, Natasha is watching her with admiration out of the corner of her eye. 

  "Do you like my t-shirt?" Peter points to the t-shirt he's wearing and shuffles closer to Clint. 

  Peter calls the shirt his 'smart shirt' and not for the reason you'd think. It's just a usual t-shirt but there's a picture of two test tubes with one saying: 'Dude, I think you're over reacting'. As dumb as the joke is, Peter loves it. His sense of humour is something he definitely didn't inherit from Tony but it's adorable nonetheless. Dorky sciences shirts are always his favourites. 

  "Wow! That's cool!" Clint says enthusiastically. 

  "Dada brought it for me for my birthday." Peter nods seriously and furrows his brow. 

  "Does your Dada get you good presents?" 

  "Yup! He's the best!" Peter turns and gives Tony a heartfelt smile. It's as if the smile stabs him straight through his chest. What did he do to deserve that kind of unconditional love? Nothing. Nothing at all. Hes done nothing to deserve Peter. 

  "You know Auntie Nat and I got you something too." 

  "A present?!" 

  "Course! It's your birthday, we couldn't not get you a present on your birthday." 

  "What is it?" Peter jumps up and down excitedly. 

  "You'll have to open it and see."

  "Here you go." Natasha gets up from the couch and goes over to Peter and Clint. She pulls out a large package from…somewhere. He's not really sure where exactly. He could've sworn she didn't have it a few seconds ago but suddenly it's there. When it comes to Natasha he's given up questioning the how.

  "Wow! You really got something." His mouth hangs open as he stares at the package. 

  "Course, you're my favourite nephew after all." Natasha ruffles his hair lovingly and gives him the present. 

  "Oi!" Clint gasps but is silenced when Natasha jabs him in the rubs with her elbow. Although he doesn't say anything, he files the information away in his head. 

  Peter takes the package and sits down on the floor with it in front of everyone else. He carefully turns the package over bad begins pulling at the tape, tearing off the wrapping paper excitedly. 

  "Woah! It's a gun!" Peter shouts enthusiastically. 

  Everyone instantly sits forward to check the present just in case it actually is a gun. A knife was one thing but a gun?! Knowing Natasha there's a chance she actually got him one. Thankfully, it's just a Nerf gun though. 

  "Yup, you can use it to shoot your Dad when he's being annoying." Clint whispers loudly into Peter's ear, making sure everyone else can hear him as he whispers. 

  He pulls it out of the box and starts to aim it at Happy. Instead of shooting it he lowers it so he can examine it from every angle. 

  "How does it work?" He looks over to Clint for advice. 

  "Let me show you."

  Clint patiently demonstrates the gun, guiding Peter through every step of the process. He'll admit that he's surprised at Clints patience. When he'd first seen the other man he hadn't pinned him as the type but clearly he'd misjudged him. 

 "See." Clint says as he pulls the trigger and sends the bullet flying. It almost hits Natasha directly on her nose but she catches it at the very last second. 

  "Woah! You're amazing at shooting."

  "You should see me with a bow, kid." Clint chuckles and hands the gun over to Peter. 

  Him and Peter spend the rest of the day playing with the gun together. Clint is an absolutely terrible influence but no one tries to stop either of them as they shoot all the expensive vases and decorations. Not even Pepper.

  Pepper curls up at his side as they watch Peter and Clint play together. His fingers occupy themselves by fiddling with her hair as she leans against him. She stays so quiet he almost thinks she's asleep. 

  Despite being the last to arrive, Natasha and Clint are also the last to leave - going back to whatever secret agents stuff they were doing before they dropped by. Although Peter is sad to see them leave he's nowhere near as clingy as he had been when Natasha first left them. It seems this time he actually believes her promise to return.

  Unlike other years, the rest of them don't stay for too long either. By the next day everyone has left, allowing Tony and Pepper to resume their usual duties. The new Stark Tower is keeping both of them on their toes, especially since Pepper also has SI to juggle. 

  It's gone up at a spectacular rate but by the end of August, only the top floors are actually done. All the lab areas and offices that are going to fill up the bottom 80 odd floors are completely empty. There isn't even electricity or plumbing going into them, they're just skeletons. The only reason the top 10 floors are done is so that they can stay there with Peter during the school year. 

  The week before Peter starts is more chaotic than Tony imagined. Although he's good at staying calm and controlled, even when everything is going to shit, Pepper certainly isn't. He's so relieved when they finally move in that he doesn't even care when he finds Nick Fury sat on his couch uninvited that very night. 

  "Tony Stark. It's nice to see you again." Nick Fury mutters from the shadows. 

  He's wearing exactly the same long black trench coat as last time - does he wear anything else? For all the complaints Tony has about the guy, his eyepatch is still undeniably badass with his angsty black trench coat and brooding eyepatch. Tony can't imagine him ever being younger than he is right now. In Tony's eyes, he's always been the same brooding dark figure he is right now. 

  "Ah, Nicky, I was wondering when you were going to show up." Tony sighs and takes a seat on the other couch, "I'd have invited you to come visit but I really didn't want to see you."

  "I thought I'd let you know that I finished writing up my report." Fury throws a file onto the coffee table, letting it slowly slide to a stop in front of Tony. Instead of picking it up he leaves it sitting there ominously. Whatever Fury wants to say, he can say it himself. 

 "Ah, yeah, the report. I was beginning to think you'd died." 

  "There was a lot to consider." Fury tuts and leans back on the sofa. 

  "I bet." Tony smirks. 

  "I'll admit that I was surprised to hear Agent Romanoff's report on you. However I trust her judgement - she's never wrong." 

  "Never wrong? Surely she's sometimes wrong, it's impossible to always be right." Tony mutters to himself, watching Furys frustration slowly build. How far is he going to be able to push him? 

  "I wanted to talk to you about the Avengers initiative." He finally cuts to the point. 

  "Avengers initiative?" Tony snickers. 

  "An initiative to gather people of interest in order to form a team capable of protecting Earth and it's assets from world ending events." So that's the super group Natasha mentioned. The Avengers…definitely sounds like a Superhero group. 

  "Just usual Friday night stuff then." 

  "Can you take anything seriously?" 

  "I don't really do serious."

  "And that's your issue." Nick sits forward, shuffling closer to Tony, "Your father was an influential man, he changed this world in many ways. He even helped found SHIELD along with Agent Carter." 

  "I know, Agent Romanoff already lectured me -" 

  "He was a good man." Fury starts speaking over Tony, drowning out his words. 

  "Everyone keeps saying that." Tony rolls his eyes. He's done with everyone telling him how great Howard was. Nothing anyone says is going to remove Tony's last memories of the man. The same man who, unknowingly or not, was the cause of Maria and Jarvis' deaths. 

  "He might not have been a good father but that doesn't take away from everything he achieved. The good he did. He didn't always see eye to eye with everyone at SHIELD but we all had the same belief."

  "And what belief is that?"

  "That heroes do exist and they will be our future."

  Heroes…Howard certainly believed in them. Believed in _one_ anyway. Peggy too. 

  "Heroes." Both of them know Tony isn't what they're referring to right now. Not really a hero. Not in the same way, "Captain America, huh? You too? I thought you would be more realistic than Howard."

  Howard's quest was always to recover Captain America. A true hero. To find him and bring him back home, or at least recover his body. Tony knew better though, they were never going to find him. If they haven't after 70 years, they weren't going to now. 

  "I'm not talking about him - there are other people out there just like him. People on the side of good and bad." Others? Wouldn't people know if there were other people like good ol' Steve Rogers kicking about? 

  "How can you be so sure?" 

  "I've met them. People with unexplainable powers or skills. People that can protect to world." 

  "What like the wonder twins? Itsy Bitsy and Legolas." They might be skilled but they're not exactly _super_. Even they would have to admit that. It's not like they have super strength or healing - although Natasha's glare could be super. 

  "This world is so much bigger and stranger than you can comprehend, Mr. Stark, and I have a feeling that you're going to have to accept that sooner than you think."

  "Why are you here then? To recruit me into your super secret boy band?" 

  "Despite Agent Romanoff's assessment, no." Well that's polite, "However I could use your help." 

  "My help? You can't _afford_ my help." Tony scoffs. 

  "Your kid, Peter, he looks up to you. Sees you as a hero. As narcissist as you like to seem, you clearly care about him a lot. If you're not going to help for the sake of the world, can't you at least do something for his sake?" Fury sighs and stands up, "I trust we'll be seeing each other again before long. Try not to die in the next few months. You're not of any use to anyone dead."

  And with that the other man leaves, disappearing the same way he arrived. 

 

~~~

 

  Peter tries to sleep, he really does, but he can hear everyone downstairs having fun without him. They're not being loud but it's still making it hard to sleep. Even staring at the night light doesn’t help him sleep.

  It's been a week since they moved into their new big tall house but he's still not used to it. Despite what Dada, Pepper and Happy say, he doesn't think he'll ever get used to it. All of the furniture is new - even the beds which makes it hard to sleep even when Dada isn't having a party downstairs. 

  Eventually he slips out of bed and creeps over to the elevator. Although it’s loud downstairs it’s completely silent upstairs. Most people hate the quiet but he loves it. It’s easier to think when things are quiet.

  “May I ask where you are going?” J.A.R.V.I.S’ voice breaks the silence. Peter had almost forgotten he was watching - it’s easier to forget than you think. 

  “I was going to go down to the lab.” He whispers even though there’s no one who could hear him. It just feels wrong to be loud - even when no one else is here.

  “Would you like me to tell the bots you’re on your way down?” 

  “Um...okay.”

  Still being as quiet as possible he creeps over to the elevator. Now they live so high up in the clouds that they need a elevator just to get up to the bedrooms. Although he loves the big elevators, there's too much room now. They even have to get in a elevator to go down to the lab. 

  Even though they've spent a few weeks here he always forgets which way to go. There are less rooms on each floor than home but unlike the old home, this one goes up up up high.

  Lots of the bottom floors are all empty and not working yet but the top floors have all of their things. Their old stuff is still at home but Pepper and Dada had taken them out to the shops to go buy new things to put in. Even the lab had lots of new things. A lot of the things looked just like the ones at home but somehow they manage to be even more amazing. 

  Peter might miss home sometimes but DUM-E, Butterfingers and U certainly don’t. The new lab takes up a whole floor and is double the size of the old one, giving them even more space to mess around. It’s also easier for them to move between floors using the elevators rather than go up and down the stairs like they had to back at home. 

  As Peter steps out of the elevator into the lab they all rush over to greet him. DUM-E even drops the smoothie he had been making onto the floor in his rush to come over.

  “Hey guys.” Peter pats them each on the head, “Can I stay with you for a bit?” He asks them. They all beep happily which must mean yes as U speeds over to the side of the room and grabs his special ball. 

  Down here he can hear the party even better. Now it’s just two floors below him which means he can hear everyone walking around loudly as the music plays. Are they all dancing? Dada said he wouldn’t like the party but he loves dancing with Pepper and Dada. He even loves dancing with Happy even though Happy makes him do all the special fancy moves.

  “It’s not fair.” He sticks out his bottom lip, “I never get to do all the fun things.”

  The ball bounces across the room as all three bots chase after it. They all rush past each other, knocking into all the equipment. Despite Peter trying to be annoyed, he laughs at the sight of them. They always cheer him up, it’s like their special superpower.

  “I don’t see why I can’t go down there.” He sighs. He always has to stay behind. Like when Dada, Pepper, Nat and Happy all went to see the race cars without him. Or every time they leave him with Uncle Ben and Aunt May. It’s not fair. He’s a big boy now - he can stay up and go to parties like everyone else.

  “I’m afraid it’s past your bedtime.” J.A.R.V.I.S sounds sorry but that doesn’t make him feel any better. 

  “Pepper says Dada always stays up past his bedtime.”

  “Yes, well your father has never been one for rules.” How come Dada is allowed to break the rules but Peter can't? That's not fair at all! 

  “I’m going to go down - just to see.” Peter tests the water slyly. 

  “I don’t recommend that, young master. It’s best for you to stay here with us. Just until your father gets back.” JARVIS's attempts at discouraging only make Peter more certain that he wants to go. 

  “I can still stay with you guys. I’ll just bring DUM-E, Butterfingers and U with me. Besides, you’re always with me even if I’m not in the lab.” He reaches up to pat U on the head, “You wanna come and see the party with me? We’ll find Dada.” All three bots start beeping excitedly. They never know what he's saying but they are always excited to go exploring. 

  “I don’t suppose you’re going to listen to anything I have to say. I recommend you at least change out of your pyjamas. People at your father’s parties don’t often wear pyjamas.”

  Hmmm…he hadn't thought about that. Of course people don't wear their pyjamas to parties - pyjamas are just for Bedtime. Bit what do they wear? He's never had to go to one before (unless you count birthday parties).

  “What do they wear?”

  “Suits or dresses mostly. Smart clothes.”

  Hm...there’s no way he’s going to wear a suit. He’s locked all of those away in the bad cupboard so no one can ever make him wear them. The only dresses in the house are Pepper’s and she’s still much bigger than him - there’s no way he could fit into any of them. Maybe he can still find smart clothes though…

  With the bots tagging behind him he slips back up to his room and grabs some clothes from his draws. The first thing he puts on is his smart T-shirt, the one Dada bought him for his birthday. None of his other clothes are very smart but maybe that’s okay so long as he has one smart thing. Instead of smart clothes he puts on some brown shorts, keeping his fluffy slippers on because they’re so soft and fluffy. Like hugs on his feet. 

  Just before he leaves the room he grabs his repulsors from the bedside table. The batteries have run out a little bit so now the light is dimmer but it’s still visible. He slips them on, hiding the wires down his sleeves and attaching the nightlight to his chest. 

  “Okay, now I’m ready.” Peter takes a deep breath in and smiles broadly. He’s finally going to go see one of Dada’s parties. He'll be a proper big boy. 

  "Are you sure about this?" J.A.R.V.I.S says warily but Peter brushes him aside. JARVIS still thinks Peter is a little baby but he's wrong. He's not a baby anymore and he's going to prove it.

  "Yup! I'm a big boy now. I can go to parties just like Dada." He puffs up his chest and stands tall. Dada might have told him to stay in bed but it's not like he can sleep anyway. 

  However as soon as the elevator arrives at the party he starts getting worried. What if Dada gets angry that Peter is down at the party? What if Pepper shouts at him for not being asleep? What if J.A.R.V.I.S gets told off for helping Peter?

  “We’ve got to stay hidden okay?” He warns each of the bots. They’re normally very bad at hiding and staying quiet but the music here is so loud it should be able to hide the sound of them moving around. As long as they follow behind Peter and try to hide they should be okay...hopefully.

  “Follow me all the time.” He points at each of them, making sure they understand before they follow him out of the lift into the room.

  Thankfully the room right in front of the elevator is empty as everyone else is in the next room along. Even so they creep along the edge of the room, sticking to the wall like super glue. All of the bots follow behind him, almost running into his toes as they try to stay as close as possible. 

  As they get near the doorway to the next room Peter peeks his head around the corner. People are everywhere, all crowded around the middle of the room. Just like J.A.R.V.I.S said, they’re all dressed up fancy, in suits and dresses. His clothes really don’t look like they fit in with all the other clothes - maybe J.A.R.V.I.S had been wrong about people wearing smart clothes here.

  There’s a long line of tables going all the way around the edge room with all the food on them. He’d helped Dada make some of the food earlier but there’s lots more than what they’d made. Someone else must’ve made the extra food.

  Long white table cloths hang all the way over from the table right down to the floor. If they can get over to the tables they should be able to sneak around the edge of the room to watch the party.

  “Shhh!” He puts his finger against his lips, just like Dada does when they’re trying to sneak past Pepper to get the coffee and chips for their lab sessions. 

  When no one is looking, Peter makes a run for it, dipping underneath the tablecloth to get under the table. Once he’s under he holds the cloth up so the bots can get under it. They’re too big to fit under so they have to make themselves smaller just to get underneath it. It’s very lucky that no one sees them as they try to adjust their height and get under the table.

  When they’re all finally under he drops the cloth, sealing them in. It much darker than he’d imagined with all the cloths down but the light from the repulsors and nightlight is enough for them all to see. Just about. Unfortunately to crawl he needs to use his hands which covers up the light of the repulsors a little bit, leaving only the light of his nightlight. 

  As they get further down along Peter stops still and waits for the bots to catch up. They’re doing their best to stay quiet but can never be as quiet as Peter. Especially since Auntie Nat and Uncle Clint taught him all their staying quiet tricks. Their loud machine parts make lots of noise unlike all of Peter’s human parts. 

  Once the bots have finally caught up, Peter creeps forward and lifts up the edge of the cloth slightly so he can peek under it. Peter just about manages to stop the bots from lifting up the cloth as well. Knowing them they would lift the cover up too much and ruin their little hiding place. 

  “Just wait. I’ll tell you what I see.” He explains in a whisper but they don’t seem to understand. Nonetheless they leave the cover alone and continue playing together quietly as they wait for Peter.

  With the bots preoccupied, Peter shuffles forward and peeks under the cloth again. 

  Peoples feet are moving past the table making it hard to see what’s going on in the middle of the room. Hard but not impossible. If he makes himself even flatter he can get a better look under and is just about able to see people in the middle of the room.

  As usual, the first person he sees is Dada. He’s in the black suit from earlier, dancing with Pepper who’s in her fancy red and gold dress. It’s Peter’s favourite dress which is why he chose it for her earlier. Although she always asks Peter which dress she should wear both of them love that dress the best.

  Peter wrinkles his nose up as Dada and Pepper kiss again. It’s always so gross. Although they kiss Peter on the head and cheek all the time it’s weird when they kiss each other’s lips. It looks all funny. They never used to do that but now they do it all the time.

  “What are you doing under there?” He turns around quickly to find a girl crouching beside him under the table. His head moves so fast it smashes into the bottom of the table making his hurt go ouch.

  The girl looks like she’s the same age as him even though she’s considerably taller. She’s not actually looking at him, instead she’s copying him and peeking out under the cloth at the party.

  She’s got dark skin just like Uncle Rho Rho’s and her long black hair is tied up in lots of teeny tiny little plaits all across her head. She’s not wearing a dress, suit or smart clothes - instead wearing a very baggy sweater and cargo pants. The only fancy thing is a pretty colourful butterfly pin in her hair.

  “I’m...I’m...looking for...spiders.” He stammers.

  “Spiders?” She shuffles back so she can sit down and look at him, “Why are you looking for spiders under the table in your slippers?” 

  “I was teaching the bots how to hunt them.” He points to DUM-E, Butterfingers and U who all beep excitedly. Peter tries to hush them but they keep beeping anyway. 

  “Why aren’t you in a suit?”

  “I don’t like them - they’re all itchy and tight.” His nose wrinkles up in disgust. They’re the worst clothes ever. How can Dada stand wearing them, “Besides, you’re not wearing a suit or dress.”

  “I don’t need to.” She holds her head high and crosses her arms. 

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m a princess.” 

  “Really?! A real life princess like the stories?!” He gasps. 

  Dada has told him lots of stories about princesses but he never thought they were real. Does that mean the child eating pirate princesses are also real? Are goblins and Narwhals real too? 

  “Yep.” She smiles proudly and shuffles closer to him. “Look, I can prove it.” She whispers into his ear.

  She sits back carefully and takes the butterfly pin out of her hair she holds it out to show him before pressing a concealed button on the wing. As soon as it’s been pressed the pin alters its shape turning into a golden tiara in her hands.

  “Woah! You really are a princess then?”

  “Yep.”

  “Woah…" He whispers, his mouth hanging open. There's a real life actual princess here in front of him! Dada never told him that he knew a princess. Are the stories he tells about Princesses about this girl? She doesn't look like she's ripped the head off of a dragon… 

  “I’m in disguise.” She smirks.

  “Really?”

  “Course not - spies aren’t real.” She giggles loudly and turns her tiara back into a butterfly pin. 

  “Yeah they are! My Aunties a spy.”

  “If you know she’s a spy then she’s not a very good spy.” The girl snorts loudly.

  “She’s the bestest spy in the whole wide world. Uncle Clint said so himself.”

  “Well it doesn’t count if your Uncle said it. Uncles always make silly things up.” He knows she’s wrong but he decides not to argue with her. If she doesn’t believe that Auntie Nat is a spy then that’s good. It doesn’t ruin her secret identity.

  “What’s the deal with them anyway.” She leans closer to U and starts prodding him curiously.

  “They’re the bots. They’re like my brothers.” Dada has always called

  “Really? They’re so life like.”

  “That’s because they are alive. Just like you and me.” He reaches out to pat Butterfingers but the girl grabs onto his arm before he can.

  “What’s this?” She pulls his hand right up to her face so she can look at his repulsors herself. He just stays completely still, letting her stare at his repulsors.

  “My...repulsors.” 

  “Repulsors? Like Iron Man.” She lifts up the table cloth slightly so they can see Dada again. 

  “Just like Iron Man.” He smiles proudly to himself. It might be obvious that the repulsors are like Iron Man's but he's still happy to hear someone compare them. 

  “You made them yourself?” She almost sounds impressed which makes him even more proud. 

  “Yup. All on my own.” He beams brightly at the girl, holding his head up high. 

  “That’s so cool!"

  “You think so?”

  "Yeah. Not as cool as my tiara or the robots but still cool.” He wants to disagree but she's right, the bots and her tiara are cooler. Way cooler. 

  "I wanna show you something really cool." He beckons to her and starts sliding out from underneath the table but the girl doesn’t follow, "Come on." 

  "My Ma says I can't go anywhere with strangers." She holds her head high and crosses her arms. 

  He's not sure what a Ma is but maybe it's like a Happy. Happy gives lots of advice. Dada says a lot of Happys advice is silly, like when he says we shouldn't spend too long in the lab but Dada says a lot of things are silly. 

  "Hmmm…I have an idea." He scoots back over to the girl and holds out his hand, "My name is Peter."

  "I'm Shuri." She takes his hand and shakes of firmly. 

  "There you go - now we're not strangers."

  "Ah, I see. That makes sense." She hums and thinks for a few seconds before responding, "I guess I can go with you now."

  "Come on then, let's go."

  All five of them creep back the way they had just come, staying underneath the tables the whole way. This time the bots lead the way which is probably a bad idea but there’s no other choice. Shuri stays by his side the whole time, looking over at him every now and then. 

  “Where are we going?” She whispers, biting her bottom lip. 

  “It’s a surprise.” She rolls her eyes and snorts but doesn’t complain. In fact she looks excited.

  The bots don’t even wait to check whether the coast is clear before dashing off over to the lift around the corner. It’s a miracle that no one sees them!

  “They seem like a handful.” Shuri giggles as she peeks out from under the cloth to watch the bots dash away.

  “They’re naughty but they’re family.” 

  Peter and Shuri are more cautious than the bots but quickly follow behind them. They can’t leave the bots alone for long just in case they do something naughty. They never mean to do anything wrong but they get confused or nervous and can mess up. That’s why Peter needs to take good care of them all. 

  Neither him nor Shuri talk again until they all get into the lift. Peter holds his breath the whole way, crossing his fingers and hoping that no one spots them. Most of them are too busy dancing to look around the room.

  “When will you tell me what the surprise is?” Shuri asks impatiently. She bobs up and down on the balls of her feet. She’s trying to hide her grin by biting her lip. 

  “Soon. It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.” He points out and puts on his best Dada voice.

  “Okay, okay.” She giggles just as the lift dings, letting them out of the door.

  “We’re here!” He starts to leave the lift but all the bots have already run out into the lab again.

  “Is this -”

  “Dada’s lab!” Peter puffs up his chest and stands up straight.

  “Wow.” She mumbles, shuffling into the room and looking around at everything, “I’m never allowed in the lab back home.” She whispers as she begins fiddling with a few of the things on the counter top.

  “Really? Me and Dada work here all the time.”

  “Can I tell you a secret?” Peter nods diligently and shuffles closer to her so she can whisper into his ear, “I sneak into the lab sometimes so I can make things.” 

  “What’s your lab back home like?” He’s never been in a proper lab - only Dada’s labs. Are real labs like theirs or are they completely different? J.A.R.V.I.S says Dada’s labs are very special but it’s hard to tell when you’ve only seen two labs before. 

  “It’s amazing! Completely different to this lab. Lots and lots of people work in our labs back home and all the machines are different. Most things are made out of vibranium.”

  “Vibrainiam?”

  “Vibranium.” Hmmm...he remembers hearing about that. Was it from Dada? Or Aunt Peggy? 

  “Like Captain America’s shield?”

  “Yup.”

  “But Aunt Peggy said there was no more Vibranium in the whole wide world.”

  “Well she was wrong.” Aunt Peggy was wrong? He can’t imagine her ever being wrong about anything but he also believes Shuri. No one can be right about _everything_ …

  “What do you do in here?” she hums and runs her fingers along the counter tops curiously. 

  “Sometimes I help Dada with his work but other times I just play with the bots.” 

  “How do you play with robots?” She stops walking along the room and looks over at Peter. 

  “Normally they like playing with the ball. See.” He picks up their ball and waves it in front of the three bots. The chirp excitedly and start spinning around as they wait for Peter to throw it for them. As soon as it leaves his hand they’re all running after it, trying to reach it before the other two.

  “So they’re like dogs.” Shuri giggles and takes the ball from Butterfingers. Instead of throwing it for them she throws it up and down a few times, making them even more excitable. 

  “That’s what Dada says. They’re like dogs that don’t do poops everywhere.” He quotes what Dada had said before. Peter had asked for a real dog a few times but Dada always said the bot were enough, “Do you have any pets?”

  “No - I did try to convince my brother to let me keep a pet panther once but he said no.”

  “A panther?”

  “Yup!”

  “Wow!” He’d only ever seen panthers in the zoo - he can’t imagine anyone having a pet one. Do all princesses have huge scary pets? The princess in Aladdin had a big tiger pet.

  “How do you help you Dada in the lab?”

  “I bring him all the things he needs and help him do all the screws and hammering. Sometimes I even give him ideas for his inventions. We work on the holograms most of the time.” He beckons Shuri over to the large hologram table. They both clamber up onto the stools as he presses the on button. A huge hologram of the new Iron Man helmet pops up on the table in front of them, spinning slowly so they can get a good look at it. Peter reaches forward and copies what Dada does, making the helmet zoom in really big and pulling apart all the different components.

  “When I’m bigger I’m going to have a lab just like this. I’ll be a proper inventor then! I’ll make all the coolest tech.”

  “I thought you were a Princess not an inventor.”

  “I can be both.”

  “But normally Princess's job is to be a Princess. At least it is in all the stories.”

  “Well being a princess is boring - I’ll just quit.” he's almost jealous of the complete certainty with which she says it. 

  “Can you do that?”

  “Um...I don’t know. But I’ll do it anyway.” She says confidently, standing up tall on the stool. She doesn't even wobble. “What do you want to do when you’re bigger?” She sits down cross legged on the stool again.

  “I want to be a superhero.”

  “Like Iron Man?”

  “Just like Iron Man. I can save everyone from the baddies and keep them all safe. I’ll look after all the little boys and girls -”

  “And princesses.”

  “And princesses.”

  “When we’re both bigger you can come over to my lab we’ll be able to make all of your tech together. I can help you make your super suit and weapons. We can be a team!” She smiles enthusiastically and scoots her stool closer to Peter.

  “A team?”

  “Why not? We’re friends right?”

  “Friends…I haven’t had any friends before.” Although he loves working with Dada and playing with his Aunts and Uncles, he’s never actually had a friend. When he was staying with Aunt May and Uncle Ben when he was very little they met other kids at the park but none of them were his friends.

  “Really? I thought everyone had friends.”

  “Not me.” He bites the inside of his cheek, “What are you supposed to do with a friend?” He tilts his head to one side. 

  “Um...well...I guess you play with them lots. And have sleepovers together.” She bites her lips as she tries to think.

  “What are sleepovers like?”

  “Well...can I tell you a secret?” She leans forward so she can whisper into Peter’s ear again, “I’ve never actually had a friend before either.” She blushes slightly and looks away from Peter.

  “Really?! But you’re a princess!”

  “I don’t get to see many other kids…" She keeps her head hanging low. 

  Maybe they're not so different…he's not the only one who hasn't had friends. 

  “We can learn how to be friends together then.”

  “We’ll be the best friends ever!” She jumps up excitedly which makes Peter giggle. She’s very strange. Are all other children like her or is she just special? “I live quite far away though.” Her enthusiasm dies down and she takes her seat on the stool again.

  “How far away?” 

  “Really really far. I live in Wakanda.” 

  “Wakanda? I’ve never heard of it.”

  “Wakanda is located in Eastern Africa.” J.A.R.V.I.S chips in, pulling up a holographic map in front of them to show the distance between New York and Wakanda.”

  “Who’s that?” Shuri looks around nervously, searching for JARVIS and finding nothing.

  “Oh, that’s J.A.R.V.I.S, he runs the place.” Peter waves up at the ceiling even though he knows J.A.R.V.I.S isn't really up there. 

  “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” J.A.R.V.I.S says happily - even more warmly than how he talks to most people. 

  “It’s nice to meet you too." She mimics Peter and waves at the ceiling. 

  “He’s an AI like the bots.”

  "If he’s an AI does he know all the things on the internet?” She mumbles thoughtfully. 

  “I’m connected to the internet so all the uploaded and digital information is accessible to me.”

  “What about all the top secret government things?” She proves curiously. 

  “There are coded and protected areas that I never look at but if I really wanted too I could gain access to them too.” There's a hint of mischief in his voice. 

  “Woah, so you could take over the world.” She gasps excitedly. 

  “If I wanted to.”

  “We could all team up and take over the world together!” 

  “I’m sure we could do anything we wanted if we put our minds together.” J.A.R.V.I.S says proudly. Peters not sure about him and Shuri but JARVIS can do anything he wants. No one except Dada would be able to stop him. It's lucky J.A.R.V.I.S is too nice to ever take over the world. 

  “You wanna take over the world Peter?” Shuri claps her hands. 

  “What’s this about taking over the world?” Dada steps into the room and crooks his eyebrows.

  Him and another man are stood in the lift, watching them both with their arms crossed. The other man looks a lot like Shuri - maybe he’s her Dada. While Shuri is in disguise, this man definitely isn’t. He looks like a king. The kind of king who fights all the monsters to protect the kingdom. Even though he looks nice something about him feels...scary. Somehow he looks even more annoyed than Dada does right now.

  “Shuri…” 

  “I was just joking, brother.” Brother? But he’s so much older than her.

  “You’re supposed to be down at the party. I thought I told you not to wander off - especially not with strangers.” He chides grouchily. 

  “But Peter isn’t a stranger, he’s my friend.”

  “Just be careful. You’re the princess.”

  “I know.” She grumbles and sticks out her bottom lip.

  “I hope you weren’t messing around with all of my stuff, Peter.”

  “We were only looking, I promise.” He’s played with the hologram helmet a little but that can be easily fixed. They do it all the time.

  “So Iron Man really is your dad?” Shuri leans over and whispers.

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow, I had no idea he had a kid.”

  “It’s a secret you’re going to need to keep - can you do that?” Dada asks softly, looking at Shuri and her brother.

  “We’ll both stay quiet - don’t worry. Your secret is safe with us.” Shuri’s brother says diligently.

  “I’m the best at keeping secrets!” Shuri says excitedly and puts one finger against her lips, promising to be silent.

  “Thank you.” Dada smiles warmly and bends down to Peter’s level, “Shuri and T’challa need to leave now. It’s time to say goodbye.”

  “Okay then.” He’d only just met his new friend and she already has to go away, “Bye.” He pous and waves goodbye to Shuri. Out of the blue, she steps forward and hugs him tightly. Although he’s caught off guard he quickly hugs her back. It’s strange hugging someone who’s not that much taller than him. Strange but nice.

  “Don’t worry - we’ll see each other lots!” She whispers as she lets go of him and takes her brother’s hand.

  “Wakanda is very far away...” Her brother - T’challa - mumbles but he’s quickly cut off by Dada. 

  “I’m sure we’ll figure something out.” Dada promises and ruffles Peter’s hair casually, “Won’t we.”

  “Yeah!” Peter nods enthusiastically. He doesn’t want to give up his new friend. They’re gonna work together in her lab when they’re bigger which means they need to stay friends! How else will he learn what you do with a friend.”

  “Bye, Peter!” Shuri waves goodbye as her brother leads her out of the lab. 

   Once they’re gone, Dada opens his arms so he can pick Peter up. Peter runs forward without any hesitation, wrapping his arms around Dada’s neck.

  “What were you doing down at the party. I thought you promised Pepper you would stay in bed.” Dada whispers into his ear. 

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “You’ve got a big day tomorrow - you need as much sleep as you can get.”

  “I don’t want to go to Kindergarten tomorrow.” 

  He doesn't see why he needs to go. Everything is already fine just the way it is, nothing has to change. Why can't he just keep working here in the lab? 

  “You’ll like it - I know you will. You’ll be able to make lots of new friends and learn a lot.” No matter what Peter says, he's not going to change his mind. There's no choice. 

  “Why can’t you come with me?” He whines tiredly. 

  “Parents aren’t allowed to go - we’ve already done it before.”

  “But I want to stay with all of you.”

  “I know, but soon you’ll forget you even worried about it, I promise.”

  “Tony? What’s going on?” Pepper steps out of the elevator, fiddling with her earrings absentmindedly, “What are you doing up Peter?” She mumbles softly as she sees Peter in Dada’s arms.

  “He snuck out of his room and came down to the party. I found him in here with Shuri.” Dada tries to sound stern but he just sounds amused. 

  “You found her then?”

  “Yeah, T’challa’s taking her back to the hotel now.”

  “That’s good. We better take Peter up too. You need sleep.” She steps closer to Peter and brushes his cheek gently.

  “Can I sleep with you?” He tugs at Dada’s collar, gripping the fabric in his fist.

  “You’ll have to ask Pepper.” Peter turns to Pepper and flashes her his biggest puppy dog eyes. 

  “Okay - just for tonight. You promise not to kick?” She holds out her pinky finger towards him. He releases Dada’s collar to free up one of his hands and links his pinky with her’s.

  “I promise.”

  “Good boy.” She kisses his head softly. 

  As usual, it’s much easier to sleep with Dada at his side. Pepper is never normally in the same bed but it’s actually nicer having her there. She’s even warmer and more cuddly than Dada. Having her close to him makes him feel safer.

  When he wakes up in the morning Dada is still in bed beside him but Pepper is already up. For a second he thinks she’s completely left but as he sits up he notices her stood in the doorway

  “Do you want pancakes?”She whispers so she doesn’t wake up Dada. 

  Peppers pancakes are the best ever. Normally he prefers Dada’s cooking but Pepper is better at making breakfasts. She only ever makes them for special occasions so Peter has to make sure he eats as much as possible every time she makes them.

  “Yup!” He beams and scoots out of bed and runs over to her. She takes his hand in hers and starts leading him out to the kitchen

  “You can help me make the batter.”

  “Yay!” He claps his hands and jumps up and down.

  Cooking with Pepper is the best! Almost as fun as working with Dada in the lab. _Almost_. She even lets him whisk up the batter even though they get messy and he spills the batter everywhere.

  Dada still hasn’t woken up by the time they finish making the batter. Even the delicious smell of the pancakes isn’t waking him up. Normally they’d just let him carry on sleeping but today is different.

  “We should go wake Dada now - he’ll want to be up and ready so we can take you to kindergarten.”

  “I don’t wanna go.” 

  “I know but you don’t really have a choice.”

  “Dada says we always have a choice.”

  “And he’s right,” She crouches down and rests one hand on his cheek, “But I swear it’s better than you think. You’ll get to meet lots of new things and learn lots. You like learning right.” Peter nods ever so slightly, not wanting to admit anything to her. “Then I know you’ll love it. It’ll be scary at first but when you get used to it, it’ll be fun. Okay?” Her eyes meet Peters, pleading with him. He doesn’t want to agree but it’s hard not to when she’s looking at him that way.

  “Okay.”

  “Good.” She kisses his forehead softly, “Come on, let’s go wake Dada.”

  Sadly, Dad's doesn't even have time to try to pancakes by the time he's up and ready. Peter sets some to one side for him but it'll be cold by the time he gets back to the tower. 

  Even though it's quite a cold day, Dada wears his sunglasses and cap as he walks Peter into school. Only Dada ends up actually going into the school with him, Pepper and Happy both have to wait in the car.

  Everything is much bigger than he’d been expecting. The building is so humongous and tall that everyone must always get lost in it. Although they’d said lots of kids would be here, he didn’t imagine this many. It’s not just little kids like him, there are big kids too. It even manages to look scary with the tall blank walls and bland colours. 

  He holds onto Dada’s hand tighter, staying as close to his leg as possible. It almost reminds him of the Stark Expo when everyone was pushing him even though there’s no one pushing this time. At least Dada is here this time. No one will be able to hurt him if Dada is right here. Iron Man would beat all of them up before that happened. 

  “Here you go, this is your class.” Dada leads them through a tall door into a smaller classroom. 

  There are drawings and colourful toys all around the room making it much brighter than the rest of the building they just went through. There are lots of tables around the room with colourful little chairs around them. Some kids are already sitting down talking while others are still getting settled. 

  “Hi there, my name is Mrs. Brown - I’ll be you kindergarten teacher.” A pretty brown haired lady comes over to talk to them. She’s dressed up like Pepper, and even has her hair tied up in a ponytail like Pepper. Even though she sounds nice, Peter clings to Dada as tight as possible so he can’t leave, “What’s your name?”

  Peter starts fiddling the edge of Dada’s shirt. His hands are sticky and there are butterflies flapping about in his tummy as he attempts to open his mouth to answer her. He can’t even look her in the eyes. Instead he just stares at the floor and bites his lower lip. Maybe if he just ignores her then she’ll go away and Peter can go home with Dada.

  “Peter Parker.” Dada answers.

  “It’s lovely to meet you Peter. I’m sure we’re going to have lots of fun.” Peter looks up ever so slightly so he can just about see the pretty ladies smile. She doesn’t seem scary like the big robots or like Obie but just like them, she’s trying to take Dada away from Peter. 

  “Do you like drawing?” She asks softly and crouches down so Peter can see her better. She doesn’t get too close which makes him feel a little better. It doesn’t feel like people are crowding around him anymore. He can breathe. 

  “You like drawing, kiddo?” Dada whispers and places one hand on his head. His hand is warm and calming - it slowly untangles the knot of butterflies in his tummy. Protecting him.

  “I do.” He mumbles and shrinks even further back into himself.

  “Well we’re going to be doing lots of drawing today. You can find someone to sit with for lessons today. Everyone’s going to be just as scared as you so I’m sure they’d appreciate some company.” The lady gestures around the room at the children sat at the tables, “I’ll leave you to get settled now then.” She smiles sweetly and moves to talk to the child who’s just entered. 

  “You gonna be okay Sparky?” Dada whispers and crouches down.

  “I think so.”

  “You’re a brave boy. I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up.” Dada ruffles his hair and gives him a quick hug, "Have fun."

  Despite how scared he is, he detaches himself from Dada. As soon as he's free, Dada straightens up and leaves the room. Leaves Peter alone. 

  Dada will be back soon. Dada will be back soon. He chants the phrase over and over in the hopes it will make things easier but everything is just as scary as before. 

  Cautiously, he looks around at the kids sitting around the tables. Most of them are already chatting to each other on their tables. There are lots of empty chairs at those tables but Peter walks past them. The lady had said that everyone was scared and they might need company so Peter heads straight over to the table where a boy sits alone. 

  "Um, hello?" Peter mutters as he takes a seat right beside the other boy. As soon as Peter speaks, the boy jumps and snaps his head up to examine Peter. 

  "Hi…"

  The boy’s black hair flops over his eyes, covering them slightly. Unlike Peter’s, his hair is very straight and neat. He’s even wearing a shirt - although it’s open and there’s a Star Wars t-shirt underneath. 

  “What’s your name?” 

  “Um...Ned.” He mutters super quietly. 

  “I’m Peter.”

  And with that, he made his second friend.

  No one else came to join them at their table but neither of them mind. They don’t really need anyone else.

  While the other kids go over to play with the toys in the corner, Ned and Peter stay at their table and doodle. Ned spends all morning telling Peter about all the film he’s watched, none of which Peter has seen. Of course he’s watched films before when he hangs out with Happy or Pepper but normally he’s busy doing other things. However after hearing his new friend talk about all these films he decides he’s going to watch all of them.  

  "What's that?" Ned leans over and points at Peter's pasta as they sit down for lunch.

  "It's pasta. My Dada made it for me." Dada had made it last night and they’d kept it in the fridge so it’s really cold now - not that it matters. Cold pasta is just as nice as warm pasta, at least when Dada makes it.

  "Wow, I wish I had pasta. My mommy just made me a sandwich." Ned holds up the floppy PBJ sandwich and waves it around.

  Mommy...the word sounds familiar. He remembers Uncle Ben talking about Mommy’s but he doesn’t remember what he actually said. 

  "What's a mommy?" 

  "Don't you have a mommy?" He shakes his head, "But everyone has a mommy. You have to have one." Ned frowns and cocks his head to one side.

  "I don't even know what a mommy is."

  "They're the lady that cuts the crust off your sandwiches and kisses daddy. They read you bedtime stories and give you baths - you know, your mommy."

  "That sounds a bit like Pepper. She kisses Dada lots and looks after me all the time." 

  "Then your Pepper is your mommy. Everyone has to have one."

   _Pepper is his mommy...?_ He hums to himself. She’s his mommy just like Ben is his uncle and Dada is his Dada.

  He smiles and takes another bite of his pasta.

 

~~~

 

  He hadn't thought sending Peter to school would be as strange as it is. He'd been separated from Peter before but normally there were more pressing things to think about during those times - like his untimely demise. After everything that's happened he can't help but spend the whole day worrying. He probably gets less done than he would've if Peter was here. It's a relief when he finally picks Peter up from Kindergarten.

  Despite all her duties, Pepper accompanies him to the 

  "Mommy, mommy! Look what we made today!" Peter runs over to hands her a little paper flower.

  "Mommy?" 

  "My friend Ned was telling me about Mommy's today. He said you're my Mommy."

  “Well, Peter, I’m not actually your mommy.”

  “Really? But you look after me and kiss Dada just like Ned said...”

  “There’s a bit more to it than that…” She looks over to Tony pleadingly, searching for an answer. Tony gives her an encouraging nod, "Do you want me to be your Mom, Peter?" 

  "Yeah!" 

  "Well then, I guess I can be you Mom." She smiles and clears her throat, "What was it you wanted to show me then?" 

  Happy doesn't comment on the new development. It's like he hasn't even noticed but they all know he has, they just don't need to talk about it. As awful as it is, it just feels natural. 

  Pepper isn't supposed to be his mom. It wasn't supposed to go this way. It's nothing like he'd imagined when Mary first told him about Peter. Of course, Mary would be happy to know Peter has a mom but that doesn't make it fair. She should be here. She should have had a chance to properly get to know Peter. 

  At bedtime Peter doesn't even kick up a fuss. By the time Tony makes it into the room he's already tucked up in bed, waiting for a story. 

  "Hey kiddo. Scoot over." He nudges Peter gently to get him to move over on the bed, "You doing okay?" 

  "Yup but I'm not tired." Peter says with his usual level of excitement. 

  "Course not, you're never tired." He chuckles, "You know Pepper wasn't always your Mommy."

  "She wasn't?" Peter furrows his brow slightly in concentration. 

  "You used to have a different Mommy when you were little." 

  "Really? What did she look like?" 

  "She looked a lot like you actually. I've got a picture of her." He carefully takes the framed photo of him Rhodey and Mary put from his pocket and hands it to Peter. 

  Tentatively, Peter takes it and traces a finger over Mary. He leans even closer as if hell be able to go right into the photo if he just gets close enough. 

  "She's the one in Uncle Ben's photo. The one who had to go away forever." Peter whispers under his breath.  

  "Yeah - she had to leave but she didn't want to. She loved you more than anything and wanted to stay with you forever." 

  "Then why did she have to go?" He knew this question was going to be coming but he's still not sure how to answer it. He figured that he'd be able to come up with something on the spot but he's just drawing blanks. 

  "Sometimes people don't get a choice. Things happen and there’s nothing we can do about it." It's a lame response but what else can you say? How can you explain death to a child? 

  "What was she like?" He asks after a long pause. 

  "She was an artist." it's the first thing he thinks about whenever he thinks of her. There are so many other things about her to think of but that one always jumps right out at him. Something he's even noticed about Peter. 

  "An artist?" 

  "She liked to draw lots. Always kept a sketchbook with her.”

  “Really?” Peter sits up in bed so it's easier to talk, “What else?”

  “Well she was very very clever - she helped make Butterfingers.”

  “What about DUM-E and U?” 

  “Well I had already made DUM-E before I met her and she wasn't around when we make U." 

  "So only me and Butterfingers have the same Mommy?" 

  "Um, yeah… I've never thought about it that way." He chuckled. By that logic Butterfingers and Peter are the only two that are proper brothers, "You know, she wanted to call Butterfingers Peter. She was very annoyed when I called him Butterfingers instead."

  "Really?! Can you tell me stories about her?" 

  "Course, how about the time she accidentally set fire to Uncle Ben's hair?" 

  From that night on their nightly stories change from whatever rubbish Tony can make up into stories about Mary or MIT or the holidays he spent with the Parkers. He even starts telling stories about his own childhood. Peters favourites are always about Mary though. 

  It doesn't take them long to both get into the new routine - it's almost nice to have some time to himself in the day. He slowly stops worrying every second that Peter is gone and gets back into the swing of working on his own again.

  Without the stress of SI meetings that he used to have to attend he's able to fully devote himself to his newest project - making the Stark Tower fully self sustaining. An entire tower powered only by a giant arc reactor. Completely clean energy. 

  Over the months the building starts to fill up with offices and labs as the SI company moves into it's new headquarters. In all his years of working for the company he's never been more connected to the company, not even when he was CEO.

  Things are actually good for a change.

  Despite what Fury said there's no threat of death looking over him and no dangerous people shooting at him (excluding certain S.H.I.E.L.D agents who seem to be making a habit of popping over and starting Nerf gun fights). He doesn't even mind when Fury asks him to go talk to General Thaddeus Ross about the Avengers Initiative - an initiative he's still only a consultant for despite having literally no one else available. 

  It's not just him who seems happier now, everyone appears to have cheered up.

  While Pepper is being kept on her toes with work she wouldn't have it any other way. With the headquarters literally in the same building they live in she still has time to snuggle on the couch under blankets with Tony and Peter to watch films after a full day of work. She even makes Peter breakfast in the mornings when she isn't being whisked off on a plane for meetings. 

  Despite all the tears about going to school, his tune has completely changed. He spends hours chatting with Shuri on the phone during the weekends and even goes to play at his friend Neds house on the weekends and holidays. Tony hadn't even realised how much he'd sheltered Peter before - it's hard to make friends with other kids when you hardly meet any kids. 

  It almost feels like things are actually changing for the better. But of course, good things never last…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since its my 18th on Friday I think I'll need to wait two weeks for the next chapter too since this week will be pretty busy. I'll see how much I can write but I'll have to wait and see.


	10. Starlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki arrives on Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry that this is horrendously late. I've been such an awful writer these past few weeks! Summers a busy time. I'm going to update with the next chapter before this week is over (most likely Sunday but I'll try to do it earlier).

**I rebuild when I break down. I wake up more awake than I've ever been before. Still I'm pinned under the weight of what I believed would keep me safe. So show me where my armor ends, show me where my skin begins. Like a final puzzle piece, it all makes perfect sense to me... The heaviness that I hold in my heart belongs to gravity. The heaviness in my heart belongs to gravity.**

**\- Pluto, Sleeping At Last**

 

~~~

 

  Peter creeps silently through the vents - keeping his eyes open at every turn. The Nerf gun is in his hands as he army crawls around. At any minute now Clint could come around the corner so he's got to be on guard at all times.

  No matter how quiet he tries to be, every time he moves the vent clatters loudly all around him. Maybe he needs more lessons with Auntie Nat…

  He's so focused on what's behind him and ahead of him that he doesn't notice when the grate underneath him falls away, taking him down with it. Before he can hit the ground a rope wraps around his ankles, suspending him in midair. Blood rushed go his head and his glasses fall off, clattering to the ground. 

  Uncle Clint stands smugly in front of him, the gun aimed at Peter's forehead. He looks funny upside down - especially when he's trying to be serious. Despite the situation, he can't help but laugh.

  At this point, there's nothing he can do to avoid being shot. The only way to beat Uncle Clint is to sneak up on him. As soon as he's seen you you've lost. He never misses. 

  Sure enough, the Nerf bullet leaves the barrel of the gun and bounces right between Peter's eyes. Without his glasses to protect the area it stings but he doesn't mind. One day he'll win. One day… 

  Carefully Uncle Clint lets him down onto the ground. As soon as he's down he stands up and brushes himself off.

  Uncle Clint picks up his glasses for him, handing them over carefully. Sighing, he takes them and puts them back on bringing the world back into focus. 

  "I hate them." Peter scowls and fiddles with the edge of his glasses. 

  "Your glasses?"

  "Yeah…"

  They're pretty new so he hasn't really had time to get used to them. New enough that Auntie Nat hasn't had a chance to see them yet. Ned says they suit him but the girl who sits opposite him, always tells him they make him look like a dork - whatever that means. 

  "What's wrong with them?" Uncle Clint crouches down, dead serious. 

  "They’re stupid. You can't a hero with _glasses_." He lets the hand holding the glasses flop down to his side.

  "Can I tell you a secret?" Peter nods enthusiastically. Secrets are the best. Now he's six people tell him lots of secrets, "I'm deaf."

  "What does deaf mean?" He hasn't heard that word before…it sounds a lot like death…

  "It means I can't hear, just like you can't see." now he thinks about it, the old lady he talks to in the park sometimes is like that. She has to wear big machines in her ear just so she can hear...

  "You can't hear anything?" 

  "I can hear some things but not much." Even though he can't hear very well, he doesn't look sad. He seems just as happy as everyone else. He's still just Clint. 

  "How can you hear me now then?" The lady at the park uses sign language but Peter isn't using that - he doesn't know how. 

  "I'm wearing my hearing aids which help a bit but mostly I lip read." 

  "Lip read?

  "I can tell what people are saying by looking at their lips." That sounds like it's very own superpower. 

  "Woah." He’s known Uncle Clint for months but this is the first time he’s ever heard about this. He couldn’t even tell. If that’s true then how does he always find Peter in the vents?

  "Can you teach me sign language? That's what the other death lady uses."

  "Sure. Auntie Nat knows it too so she could teach you as well."

  "Really?" How much other stuff doesn't he know? 

  The small phone-like device on Uncle Clint’s hip begins beeping loudly and Uncle Clint instantly stops everything to check it.

  “I’m sorry, kiddo, I gotta go now. They’re calling me back to headquarters.” Uncle Clint ruffles his hair apologetically, “You’ll have to tell your dad I said goodbye - I wouldn’t want to disturb him as he finishes work on the tower.”

  “You have to go right now?” He sticks out his bottom lip and slumps his shoulders.

  “I’m sorry. I know it sucks but, duty calls.” He smiles sadly down at Peter, “I’ll tell you what, when I finish with my assignment I’ll come here and play with you.”

  “Okay!” Peter nods hard enough to displace his glasses, letting them slide down his nose.

  “See you then.” He waves as he walks away, heading into the elevator and disappearing.

 

~~~

 

  Water presses down on him from all directions. Even with the lights from his suit, it's hard to see. Down here under the sea, everything is dark and dank. Not the kind of place you want to be. The sooner he can finish on this pipe, the sooner he can get back home. 

  The laser from his gauntlet starts getting to work on the last section of the pipe. Carefully it cuts away at the metal casing, letting it fall harmlessly down in the water. Underneath the bundle of wires are exposed and ready for the new upgrade. He grabs the metal ring from his side and clips it around the wires until it forms a glowing green ring.

  Although the tower was completed months ago and they've been living in it for around one and a half years, this is the moment it's truly finished. The moment his project comes to life. A building run entirely by clean energy from a huge arc reactor source. Green energy. 

  After checking over the huge metal pipeline one last time, he rockets out of the water and up into fresh air. Although the darkness of the night is still pressing down on him, the lights from the city beyond sparkle like a Christmas tree - staving away some of the darkness.

  "You're good on this end. The rest is up to you." He says directly to Pepper's phone. She's been hooked up to his helmet the whole time, watching over him. Although they haven't exchanged words for hours now, it feels less lonely down there knowing she's right on the other side. 

  "You disconnected the transition lines? Are we off the grid?" She mutters, working through all the technicalities. Now that he's now buried underwater the connection becomes stronger and her face pops up on the HUD monitor. 

  "Stark Tower is about to become a beacon for self-sustaining clean energy." He grins.

  "Wow. So maybe out reactor takes over and it actually works?" Despite all her support and belief these last few months, this is the first time she genuinely sounds like she believes it's going to work.

  He won't lie, it has always sounded fairly impossible. Any previous attempts have been completely ineffective and not at all cost-efficient but this one won't be the same. This time it'll work as efficiently as they'd always dreamed and imagined. 

  "I assume. Light her up."

  He soars through the air, flying higher and higher to get a better look at the towering building standing in the New York skyline. Even after all this time, it feels amazing to be up here. There will never be a time he gets sick of this feeling. Of floating weightlessly in the sky. Of drifting away from the ground until everything else is just meaningless. True escapism. 

  As he flies the huge STARK sign on the edge of the building lights up like a beacon. Soft blue light shimmers from the sign. Completely clean energy. 

  How many people down there will be watching the sign right now? The entire thing has been at the top of the media's list. A tower run on clean energy. A technological and scientific marvel. No doubt there will be a huge media frenzy over it tomorrow morning. 

  "How does it look?" Pepper says softly. He hadn't expected her to sound so…proud.

  "Like Christmas but with more…me." He smirks. 

  "We gotta go wider on the public awareness campaign. You need to do some press. I can do some more tomorrow. I'm working on the zoning for the next billboards." She starts rambling. Trust her to ruin the moment with thoughts about billboards of all things. 

  "Pepper, you're killing me. Remember? Enjoy the moment." Pepper is a master at so many things but enjoying the moment isn't one of them. It's something Peter and him have been slowly teaching her. 

  "Then get in here and I will." She grins mischievously and disconnects the call. 

  Not wasting a moment more, he flies over to the Stark Tower and drops down on the designated landing pad. Not the Helicopter pad but the small path running just above it. A specially designated _Iron Man_ pad. One of his newest creations. As fun as it was to spend years and years hooked up to J.A.R.V.I.S taking his suit off, he's finally come up with a more efficient option. A special machine that can take off his suit as he walks into the tower. 

  As he gets closer and closer to the door, the layers of the suit peel away and sink down into the machine beneath him - preparing for the next time they're needed 

  As the helmet and stuff disappear, he had a clear view of Pepper standing in the living room. She's still wearing her Jean shorts and white button-up shirt that she was wearing earlier today when they all went to the park but somehow she manages to pull it off. Such a simple outfit functions as both family time clothes and date nightclothes. He can't tell if that says more about her or him…

  "Agent Coulson is on the line,” J.A.R.V.I.S says through Tony's earpiece. Unlike many of their other visitors, J.A.R.V.I.S has grown quite fond of Agent Coulson recently. He's dropped by a couple of times over the years to check on them (not as much as some of the other S.H.I.E.L.D agents but more than Tony had expected). 

  "I'm not in, I'm actually out." With Peter around, it's been months since they've had a night alone. Date nights have become a thing of the past. It's a miracle they even have tonight. No S.H.I.E.L.D agent is going to get take this precious time away from him. 

  "Sir, I'm afraid he's insisting." 

  "Close the line, J.A.R.V.I.S, I've got a date." He grins and practically skips into the tower, 

  “Lines are holding steady.” She says without turning away from the screens to look at him. Of course, they’re holding steady - they’ve been working on this for months and run hundreds of simulations. 

  “Of course they are, I was directly involved.” He walks over to her and chucks the ea piece down onto the desk, “Which brings me to my next question: how does it feel to be a genius?” People probably believe all of this is his doing alone but in all honesty, Pepper probably did most of it. The hard stuff anyway. He handled the engineering, she handled the admin. It’s a system that’s really worked out for them so far.

  “Haha.” She mock laughs with an eye roll, “I really wouldn’t know now, would I?”

  “What do you mean? All this came from you.”

  “No, all this came from that.” Her finger taps softly against the arc reactor.

  It's strange, there shouldn’t be any feeling in the cold metal case of the reactor but it almost feels like a warmth goes through him. Rippling all the way through the metal. Sometimes he wonders just how much the arc reactors have become a part of him. People might roll their eyes when he tells them it’s a part of him but it truly is. There’s something more there than what people imagine. 

  “Give yourself some of the credit, please. Stark Tower is your baby. Give yourself...twelve percent of the credit.”

  “Twelve percent?” She arches her eyebrow and glares at him as if he’s just kidnapped her baby - which he supposes he kinda has. 

  “An argument can be made for fifteen.”

  “Twelve percent? For my baby?” For someone who’d not given herself any credit a few seconds earlier, she sounds awfully offended. She even starts walking away from him and going over to the couches. 

  “Well, I did do all the heavy lifting. Literally, I lifted all the heavy things. And sorry, but that security snafu? That was on you.” He follows behind her, watching as she pours out the wine. 

  “Ohhhh.” She shakes her head in disbelief. There’s a joking smirk on her face as she pours Tony a glass.

  “My private elevator -”

  “You mean, _our_ private elevator.” She interrupts but Tony just keeps on talking.

  “- was teeming with sweaty workmen.” It had actually been quite an issue. Since the penthouse had been finished months and months before everything else, they’d all already moved in - including Peter. Those workmen had been so close to finding Peter which could’ve been a nightmare. It’s lucky J.A.R.V.I.S was there to warn Peter or that could’ve gone down badly.”

  “I’m going to pay for that comment about percentages in some subtle way later, aren’t I?” He changes the subject and casually flops down onto the couch beside her. 

  “Not gonna be that subtle.” She turns to face him and hands him the champagne. 

  “I’ll tell you what, the next building will say ‘Potts’ on the tower.” Both of them know they’re not going to make another tower but if they did, she deserves her name on it. After all, she is the CEO now. 

  “On the lease.” She whispers as they clink the glasses together. He winces over dramatically for effect.

  “Call your mom, can you bunk over?” He asks which earns him an adorable little giggle.

  Of course, at that moment J.A.R.V.I.S interrupts, cutting their date short. Just once he’d like to be able to get through the whole night without any interruptions. Is that really too much to ask?

  “Sir, the telephone. I’m afraid my protocols are being overwritten.” J.A.R.V.I.S says apologetically as Coulson’s face appears on the telephone to his side.

  Sighing, he picks up the phone, holding it in front of his face to address the nosy, interrupting agent. You’d think if they’re outright said you weren’t good enough for their little boyband they’d leave you alone but apparently not. I’m not good enough for them but they still call me whenever they need contacts or tech or even just a man on the ground.

  “Stark, we need to talk.” Coulson sounds slightly crackly through the phone speaker.

  “You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark, please leave a message.”

  “This is urgent.”

  “Then leave it urgently.” He tries to hang up the phone but of course, at that moment the elevator door opens and Coulson steps out into the penthouse. 

  “Security breach, that’s on you.” He mumbles to Pepper but she completely ignores him.

  “Mr. Stark.”

  “Phil! Come in.” She smiles sweetly as she goes over to welcome their intruder.

  “Phil? Uh, his first name is Agent.” Tony trails behind her aimlessly, hoping all of this will be over soon and they can go back to their long-awaited date. 

  “Come on in, we’re celebrating.” She welcomes him warmly - more warmly than she ever has for him…

  “Which is why he can’t stay.” Tony sighs but both of the others completely blank him out. Why does this always happen?

  “We need you to look this over as soon as possible.” He holds out a file towards Tony. The sudden breach of personal space sends a shiver down his spine. Of course, it’s just Coulson - the human equivalent of a puppy - but the feeling is still there. He has to hold back the impulse to put his hands over his arc reactor. 

  “I don’t like being handed things.” He stays stock still and remains completely calm and composed. Exactly as Maria and Peggy taught him (although both for very different situations).

  “That’s alright, ‘cause I love to be handed things. So, let’s trade.” Her and Coulson swap over, so he’s holding her champagne and she’s holding the file. Without exchanging any words she takes the champagne from Tony and gives him the file. It’s such a small gesture but he’s never been more grateful.

  They’ve never actually talked about the ‘being handed things’ issue but he has a feeling she knows why - and if she doesn’t then he’s glad she hasn’t interrogated him about it yet. He still feels kind of itchy and tense as a result of the encounter but Coulson shows no signs of noticing in the slightest.

  “Official consulting hours are between eight and five every other Thursday.” He grumbles. He’d agreed to be their consultant - not their bell boy.

  “This isn’t a consultation,” Coulson says, deadly serious. For once Tony decides not to be a douche - but only because Coulson might be a halfway decent guy. 

  “Is this about the Avengers?” Pepper pipes in curiously but immediately regrets it upon seeing Coulson’s face, “Which I know nothing about.”

  “The Avengers initiative is scrapped, I thought. And I didn’t even qualify.” He grumbles, disgruntled, and goes over to his own computer with the electronic files Coulson has brought.

  “Which I also didn’t know,” Pepper adds - very obviously lying.

  “This goes beyond all of that now.” Coulson maintains his dead-serious expression. It’s almost scary to see him like this.

  “Whatever - Miss. Potts, you got a minute?” He asks and beckons her over to his side as he taps away on the screen in front of him - pulling up all the files, “You know, I thought we were having a moment.”

  “We were having twelve percent of a moment.” She jokes before lowering her voice, “This seems serious, Phil looks pretty shaken up.”

  “How did you notice? Why is he Phil?” The two have been close since everything with Obadiah happened but it’s weird to hear her refer to him by name. Even Romanoff and Barton just refer to him as Coulson.

  “What is all this?” She ignores his question and looks over his shoulder at the screen. 

  Carefully he pulls up the files and expands them so they hover in the air surrounding him and Pepper. Video play on all sides of giant green monsters, archery and a guy trying to lift what looks like a huge medieval hammer. The only file without any images is Natasha’s which he immediately looks away from. Even he knows when to leave things alone.  

  However, his eyes are immediately drawn to the central one directly in front of him. Captain America. Steve Rogers. The one shadow he’s never been able to get out of. All at once it’s like he’s five years old again, waiting for Howard to finally look his way. Waiting for a day that’s never going to come. The words _ACTIVE_ punch him right in the gut. Howard wasn’t completely nuts after all. There was some kind of sanity in his obsession.

  He recognises a few of the other faces - there’s only one unfamiliar one in the rooster. The face of Bruce Banner peers through the screen, green and mean. He’s by far the most interesting person on the files. Scientist turned monster, at least that’s what everyone else believes but he’s not so sure. He’s seen the footage. Seen what happened in Harlem. There’s something more there, even if no one wants to see it. 

  He finally turns to look at Barton's file only to find the word MISSING instead of ACTIVE. Missing? What’s that supposed to mean? He’d just been here literally yesterday - entertaining Peter as he and Pepper started on the very final stretch of the giant arc reactor. 

  “What happened to Clint?” Pepper beats him to the question.

  “He’s been compromised. Someone broke into the S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters last night and did something to Barton, Selvig and a few other agents. The headquarters are buried deep under the earth now - completely demolished.”

  “What do you mean by ‘did something’?” Tony frowns.

  “I mean mind control.”

  “We have mind control now?”

  “Not exactly ‘we’’. This guy was from a different planet.”

  “Aliens?” Tony frowns, waiting for someone to call bullshit. It’s not that he doesn’t believe in aliens but aliens coming here and mind-controlling people? That he doesn’t believe.

  “Fury did tell you that you’re part of a bigger universe.”

  “What happened to Uncle Clint?” Peter’s voice suddenly appears behind him. All of them turn to look at the six-year-old standing in the doorway.

  “Nothing sweetie - it’s all going to be okay.” Pepper tries to reassure him but he walks past her, not listening to her hollow words.

  “I’m not little anymore, I know that something happened. I heard all of you talking.” He tries to sound confident but his voice is wobbling ever so slightly.

  “Someone cast a spell on Clint which stops him from doing what he wants to do. He’s not hurt but he’s not...himself.” Coulson tries to explain as carefully as possible.

  “Mind control…”

  “It’s okay - you Dad’s going to help us make him and everyone else better again,” Coulson says with complete confidence, some of which seems to rub off on Peter.

  “I haven’t decided yet…”

  “Please, Dad! You’ve gotta help him!” Peter pleads and tugs on Tony’s arm desperately, “We need to get him back!” He stares down at Peter, watching his eyes sparkle with tears.

  He hadn’t been sure about Barton at first but over the last year, he’s been good with Peter. They’ve become just as close as Peter and Nat. Although S.H.I.E.L.D might’ve been pretty awful at most things so far, he knows there’s not really a choice.

  There was a reason why he donned the Iron Man suit instead of anyone else. To take control and responsibility for his actions. To make sure what he was going truly was doing good. To help people and make things better. To not waste this second chance. He can’t go back to his date, no matter how much he wants to.

  “I promise that your Auntie Nat and I will get him back. We will.” If there’s anyone who has the skill and determination to see this through to the end it’s Natasha. He believes in her completely. 

  “Okay, I believe you,” Peter mumbles but doesn’t let go of Tony. 

  “Come on, Peter. We should both get some sleep and leave Dad to his homework. He’s going to have a busy night.” Pepper pries Peter off of him and gently guides him by holding onto his shoulders. Before she leaves, she presses a kiss against his cheek and stares into his eyes, searching for something but he can’t tell what, “I believe in you too.” She whispers and walks off with Peter.

  “Good luck Mr. Stark - there’s a lot to look through,” Coulson says curtly.

  “Where are you going?” He’d assumed the agent would be staying to tell Tony where to go after this but apparently not. Sometimes he wonders whether S.H.I.E.L.D really does have a plan or if they’re just stumbling their way through everything aimlessly. He hopes they do.

  “I’ve got other people to collect. There are more people than you being called in.” The five other files hovering in the air stare him in the face. A team of six - if he even counts as a member since he’s just the team's consultant.

  “How am I supposed to know what to do?”

  “We’ll be in contact…” Coulson says with a soft smile before slinking back off into the elevator and disappearing.

  This is going to take a while...

  Sure enough, he’s up until the crack of dawn looking through the files and reading up on thermonuclear physics. There are files upon files on the Tesseract and world war two. Thing's he'd never have dreamt up. Portals open under buildings and destroying anything. Scepters that can control people's minds. He even pages through old Norse mythology and old newsreels about Captain America. He’d sworn he wasn’t going to watch any of those every since he gave up on the idea of Captain America when he was younger but here he is. If only Howard was here now.

  By the time he finally gets a text from Fury he’s surprisingly running out of material to go over and has already consumed five cups of coffee. In the usual Fury fashion, there’s next to no details other than the location of a gala in Stuttgart.  

  Although it’s still early in the morning he sneaks into his and Pepper’s room to try and say goodbye. Both Peter and Pepper are asleep, holding tightly onto one another. Peter’s hair is flopping over his eyes, making it even harder for him to see than it usually is. They’re going to have to give him a haircut soon before he literally can’t see through his fringe. 

 He tries to engrave the image of them sleeping peacefully into his mind for the moment when the shit inevitably hits the fan. Something to hold onto amongst the chaos. A little piece of tranquility and peace amongst everything else in his life.

  Not wanting to wake them, he presses a kiss against each of their heads. His family. If nothing else matters then they do.

  And then he leaves.

  Even with his upgraded suits, it takes time to get to Stuttgart. He’s fast but not _that_ fast. He probably shouldn’t have taken the time to say goodbye to Peter and Pepper but he can’t make himself regret it. He’ll always say goodbye - even if they’re not there to hear it. 

  When he arrives he’s clearly late to the party. Whatever is happening is already well underway., What exactly that is, he has no idea, but he’s sure he’ll be able to figure it out. From his scanners, it looks like the square is now completely empty with only two people attacking one another.

  As they get closer they register one of the S.H.I.E.L.D issue Quinjets hovering above the crowd, blending in with the night sky. At least they’re definitely in the right place.

  “Hey, J, do you think you can get into the PA system?” It’s more of a courtesy question than anything else since they both know exactly what he’s capable of. Afterall J.A.R.V.I.S can do anything he sets his mind to - except maybe keep out Coulson. 

  “Of course - what song do you have in mind?” J.A.R.V.I.S cuts straight to the chase. Tony smirks.

  “I’m thinking some ACDC - any recommendations?”

  “How about Shoot To Thrill? I think that would make for a flashy entrance.” J.A.R.V.I.S asks after a thoughtful pause.

  “What would I do without you?” He smiles proudly. He’s taught J.A.R.V.I.S well - after all, what’s the point of having an AI if you can’t have some fun from time to time.

  Shoot To Kill blasts through the PA at full volume. The sound fills up the square, demanding everyone’s attention. There’s no way anyone’s going to miss his entrance at least. 

  “Agent Romanoff, did you miss me?” He speaks through the Quinjets speakers. There’s no way she’s not sitting in the driver's seat right now. He can imagine her rolling her eyes somewhere inside the Quinjet.

  It’s been weeks since he last saw her. Apparently she was off on some kind of top-secret S.H.I.E.L.D mission but apparently, they’ve abandoned that now. He’ll never admit it to her but he’s missed her visits. 

  Taking advantage of the moment, he swoops down towards the fight. He shoots his repulsors right into a man who appears to be Loki, dressed in a royal looking green cloak and strange golden horns. Loki goes flying across the square and into the steps on the other side, lying back pathetically.

  Coulson had said he was an alien but he certainly doesn’t look like one. He just looks like an ordinary, slightly frail-looking, human. The only thing odd about him is the golden horns and cloak but that’s not exactly alien. He doesn’t even look like a Norse god.

  Not wanting to give the guy a chance to stand up, he aims all of his weapons straight at the guy, waiting for him to make a move.

  “Make your move Reindeer Games.” He says, keeping all focus on the man in front of him. He doesn’t even let his focus drift as none other than good old Cap comes strolling up beside him. 

  As Cap moves to stand beside him, Loki’s horns and cloak vanish into nothing. Some kind of strange illusion trick. Loki slowly raises his hands in defeat, now dressed only in smart, darker green robes.

  “Good move.” He lowers his arms and weapons, glad to have everything over and done with.

  “Mr. Stark.” Cap pants, but doesn’t look over at Tony.

  As a kid, he’d imagined this scene so many times but it was never like this. At first, he imagined helping his own father find the captain. He’d imagined being accepted and liked by good old Steve. However as he’d gotten older this encounter included a lot more harsh words and sometimes even punches - depending on how much Howard had been drinking. But now he’s here he’s not sure how to react - he doesn’t even know how he feels. Despite how many stories he’s heard, he doesn’t actually know the guy.

  “Captain.” He responds sharply, trying to blank the other man as much as possible. Before they can get into a proper conversation he starts sending a message to the Quinjet, “Got a nice package here for you, Itsy Bitsy.” 

  “I hope this one doesn’t bite.”

  “I’m about thirty percent sure…”

  “Great…” She mumbles right as the Quinjet lands in front of them.

  Both of them know they don’t need to have this conversation since she was literally watching the whole encounter but she doesn’t question him. She even stays on the line with him until the ramp for the Quinjet lowers, allowing them to bind up the man and lead him into the Quinjet.

  Tony manages to avoid actually talking to the other man until they’re well on their way to wherever it is they’re going. It’s clear that Cap wants to speak a few times but cleverly chooses to stay silent. Even so, after a while, it's almost impossible to avoid speaking.

  “I don’t like it,” Steve grumbles and folds his arms. Both of them are watching Loki cautiously but it’s very clear that something isn’t right.

  “What? Rock of the ages giving up so easily?” It’s been bugging Tony too. Part of the reason he was staying silent was so he could try to focus more on figuring out the Norse god's plan.

  “I don’t remember it ever being that easy. This guy packs a wallop.”

  “Still, you are pretty spry, for an older fellow. What’s your thing? Pilates?” All his bottled up snark comes out at once.

  “What?”

  “It’s like calisthenics. You might have missed a couple of things, you know, doing time as a capsicle.” His comment earns a scowl from the Captain. His very first scowl, wow. Howard would be so proud.

  “Fury didn’t tell me he was calling you in.” Cap growls, folding his arms tightly.

  Tony almost feels sorry for the guy. For his naivety. Was he always naive or was the government just a more trustworthy institution back in his day? Judging by the stories, he would guess the former. 

  “Yeah, there’s a lot of things Fury doesn’t tell you.” 

  Suddenly lightning crashes right outside the Quinjet - narrowly missing the ship itself. Even with all of S.H.I.E.L.D’s tech, the Quinjet shakes and rattles unstably making them lose their balance ever so slightly. 

  Even though it was only a small shake, Loki looks like he’s seen a ghost. He instantly sits forward, looking around with twitchy eyes. His eyes keep going back to the window, searching for something no one else seems to be able to see.

  “Where’s this coming from?” Natasha mumbles, fiddling with the buttons as she tries to navigate the Quinjet through the storm without killing all of them and losing Loki. 

  “What’s the matter? Scared of a little lightning?” Cap arches his eyebrow. For someone who’s the epitome of good and perfection, he sounds awfully judgy. Almost like Tony himself.

  “I’m not overly fond of what follows,” Loki says cooly in a sharp British accent. A British human-looking alien…

  Sure enough, seconds later there’s a loud thud and flash above the Quinjet. It’s too clear and quiet to be lightning but they’re high in the sky in a thunderstorm - what else could it be? It shakes the entire ship and throws them all off balance again.

  No matter what logic is telling him, he can’t help but need to check it out. Before the others can stop him, he grabs his helmet from the side and puts in on, storming over to the ramp and cautiously lowering it. 

  As soon as it’s opened a man steps into the ship. He’s dressed in a red royal looking cloak - just like Loki’s but red. There’s a large metal looking war hammer hanging from his hand with detailed engravings running up the edges.

  Without thinking, Tony lifts his gauntlet and aims it at the man. He’s too close. Too dangerous. There’s no sign of another ship that he could’ve come from. No nothing.

  However, before he can shoot the man lifts his hammer and smashes Tony backwards so he crashes into Cap unimpressively. Both of them lay in a heap as they try to untangle themselves and go after the guy. But neither him nor Cap can stop him before he grabs ahold of Loki and drags him ver to the ramp. The hammer at his side starts spinning faster than should be possible, tugging them both out of the Quinjet and out into the thunderstorm.

  Tony’s seen the guy before - on Fury’s files. The final member of the little team. Of the Avengers. Thor Odinson.

  “Now there’s that guy…” Tony sighs as he finally manages to get off of Cap and brush himself down.

  Despite him being a top pick for the little superhero team, Tony has a feeling he wasn’t called in. What are the chances that he would just show up and ruin their own capture attempts? Something else is going on here. Why is this guy here? What is S.H.I.E.L.D hiding?

  “Another Asgardian?” Natasha asks uncertainly. Did Fury not tell them about Thor? So he told the consultant but not the actual members? Sometimes he really doesn’t get Fury.

  “Think the guy’s friendly?” Steve ponders. Fury might have hand-selected him and decided him better than Tony but that doesn’t matter at this point. He’s screwing everything up for all of them. 

  “Doesn’t matter. If he frees Loki or kills him, the Tesseract is lost.” Tony sighs and makes a move towards the ramp of the Quinjet.

  “Stark, we need a plan of attack!” Cap tries to stop him. They don’t have time to sit here planning. Every second that goes by, the Quinjet gets further and further from Thor and Loki. If they want to catch them they need to leave right this very second. 

  “I have a plan. Attack.” He grumbles, right before diving out of the ship himself.

  With all the clouds and storm surrounding him, it’s hard to see anything - let alone two people. Thankfully J.A.R.V.I.S is right there at his side, guiding him and supporting him. What would he do without the AI? He would hate to think. 

  “You found them, J?” Tony asks, scanning the environment for heat signatures. 

  “I believe so - they are quite strange though…” J.A.R.V.I.S mumbles thoughtfully.

  They certainly are strange. While Thor seems mostly normal, Loki is almost completely cold. Like some kind of snake. The opposite kind of heat signature to what he should be giving off. Maybe Fury and Coulson weren’t wrong about these guys being aliens…

  “Okay - I can see them now.” Tony starts heading towards the heat signatures, blasting through clouds, rain, and lightning. 

  As he gets closer he starts to aim for the warmer heat signature. Thor. If he really is one of Fury’s guys then he needs to be told the plan. He can’t keep going around taking Loki when he pleases. Besides, tall blonde and grumpy will be dropping by soon - he can handle Loki. 

  Both him and Thor go crashing into the forest beneath them. Thor tumbles along the ground into a tree stump as Tony lands a few feet away, watching uncertainly. He lifts up his faceplate so he can talk, keeping a safe distance away in case anything goes awry.

  “Do not touch me again,” Thor growls, standing up to face Tony with his hammer at hand again.

  “Then don’t take my stuff.”

  “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.” Thor’s patronising tone grates him. Who does he think he is? Some kind of self-proclaimed god? What is it with these people and underestimating him?

  “Uh...Shakespeare in the park? Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?” Tony smirks. If there’s one thing he’s learned over the years is it’s that you’re safer when people underestimate you.

  “This is beyond you, metal man.” Thor snarls, “Loki will face Asgardian justice.”

  “He gives up the cube, he’s all yours. Until then, stay out of the way.” Tony drops the faceplate back down and turns to move away, “Tourist.”

  As soon as his back is turned, the huge metal hammer comes racing towards him. Tony only just manages to turn around before it smashes into him, knocking him through the trees and shrubbery. Everything aches and burns as pieces of wood and debris surround him. Even the screen inside the helmet is crackling from the throw.

  This is the guy Fury approves of? Geez, he must really hate Tony. 

  “Okay.” Time to change up tactics. This guy isn’t going to let them take Loki without a fight. Diplomacy must not be high on the Asgardians list of priorities. If the safety of earth is at stake then he’ll do what he has to - even if that means knocking this arsehole down a few pegs. 

  Thor calls his hammer back, preparing for another swing. It spins in his hand again at dangerous speeds, whirling louder and louder with every spin. Before it can get too loud, Tony aims his repulsor at the Asgardian, sending him backwards into the tree. While he’s still reeling, Tony smashes into him, knocking him right through the tree just like he did to Tony a few seconds ago. The hammer falls out of his hands and skids across the forest floor but once again returns to Thor’s hands like a really strange boomerang. What are the physics of that thing?

  As soon as Thor raises it into the air, a bolt of lightning appears. It goes all the way from the sky down to the hammer. The brilliant blue light - not too unlike Tony’s own ‘night light’ - illuminates the forest. After a second or so, Thor aims the hammer so it’s pointing straight at Tony. Instantly the bolt of lightning shoots out and hits him right in the center of his suit. It’s like Vanko all over again but ten times worse.

  For a second all the systems seem to crash but then suddenly fix themselves stops. He’s once again got control of the suit and it doesn’t actually seem worse for wear. In fact, the energy has been raised up to 400% capacity. He supposes he should really thank the guy. 

  The following blast knocks Thor backwards but doesn’t put him out of commission. Not even slightly. But before he can land another blow, Tony smashes into him and drags them both up into the sky and over to a new part of the forest. 

  Once they’ve landed, Tony doesn’t even have a second to think before Thor starts throwing punches again. Turns out getting into a fistfight with an Asgardian isn’t such a good idea. After a couple of punches, it’s clear that he’s not exactly winning. In fact, Thor is gripping onto his forearms, slowly crushing the metal. It’s only by shooting a repulsor into Thor’s face that he’s able to free himself. Even headbutting him doesn’t seem to work - the guys responding headbutt is like being hit with a brick wall. He knew the guy was hard-headed but this is taking it to a whole new level. He even manages to dent the metal of the faceplate and send Tony flying. 

  Even though Tony manages to throw him backwards into a tree, every following hit that Thor lands, smashes him further and further down into the ground. He narrowly avoids being smashed into pieces by his hammer by shooting himself backwards with his repulsors. Was this guy going to kill him?! Fury actually approved of him! Oh, he’s going to get it now! But just before he can properly start his attack, a large metal shield smashes into both of them.

  “That’s enough!” Cap shouts out, chidingly. He even jumps down from his little podium up on one of the trees to join the little folk down on the ground. “Now I don’t know what you plan on doing here -”

  “I’ve come here to put an end to Loki’s schemes.”

  “Then prove it and put that hammer down.” Tony almost winces at the statement. There’s no way that going to end well. After fighting this guy it’s pretty clear he’s not just going to stand down.

  “Uh, yeah, no. Bad call. He loves his hammer -” Even though Cap was the one to say it, Thor smashes his hammer into Tony, sending him flying back once again. At this point, he’s been thrown back so many times his body’s just going to be one big bruise. God, it’s going to hurt in the morning…

  “You want me to put the hammer down?!” Thor screams like a barbarian.

  Tony is almost excited to see someone other than himself get smashed into a tree but of course, that doesn’t end up happening. Thor’s hammer collides with the shield, knocking all of the trees in the area backwards. Tony is still a fair way out of the zone but the ripple of energy he feels shakes his bones. But as he gets up he can see Cap is almost completely undamaged.

  “Are we done?” Cap sighs, looking between Thor and Tony. When none of them respond he continues, “Good. We’re here on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D - we just want to talk, is that okay?”

  Tony practically sighs with relief as Thor finally sets down his hammer, ending the fight.

  It takes longer to get Loki back into the Quinjet and then into Helicarrier but it’s definitely...calmer. Well, at least there’s no more physical fighting - even if the room is tense. Not even Cap seems to feel like talking, all of them just stand there, keeping an eye on Loki.

  As soon as they get off of the quinjet and onto what appears to be the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier, Natasha heads off in a different direction to the rest of them. No one gives her a second look, doing their best to deal with Loki instead. 

  Curiously, Tony follows behind her - locking his suit up in the storage unit. As great as the suit is, it’s not made for being worn casually. Especially not in a place like this where he needs all his wits about him. 

  With some help from J.A.R.V.I.S, he manages to navigate the huge technological masterpiece that is the helicarrier, and locate what appears to be Natasha’s room. 

  “Natasha?” Tony asks cautiously as he steps into the doorway.

  It would be easy to mistake it for an unoccupied spare room with the sparseness of decorations. The only decorations are a few little drawings propped up around the place by a child and a pasta necklace painted blue and red that Peter had spent a whole day painstakingly making. 

  Natasha herself is lying down on the bed. Her eyes are open and staring at the ceiling but appear slightly glazed over in thought. One hand is carefully rubbing a silver arrow necklace that always hangs around her neck. 

  "Hey, what are you doing here?" She sits up and clears her throat. 

  "I couldn't stand being in a room with all those people. God they suck." Tony sighs exasperated. It's not like he can tell her why he's really here. That he's just as worried about her as he is about Barton. She might not show it but she must be even more upset than Peter about it all. There's no one she's closer to in the world.

  "You need to give them time. They're not bad." She shifts over on her bed, allowing Tony to take a seat beside her.

  "And you know them so well?” He raises his eyebrow. 

  “Fury green-lighted all of them. Besides, I know you.” 

  “Yeah, well as long as they help us get Barton back.” He sighs, “Not that you would need help.”

  “I think sometimes we all need a little bit of help.”

  “I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you, Agent Romanoff.” Coulson is standing silently in the doorway.

  “No, it’s fine. Come in.” She stands up, leaving Tony alone on her bed, “What is it?” She stands formally with her hand behind her back submissively.

  “They’re locking Loki up now. You and Tony are both needed to discuss the next steps.”

  “I’ll head straight down there now.” She smiles and starts heading out of the room. She only stops when she sees Tony isn’t following her. “You not coming?” She frowns.

  “I have something I want to do first.” He says, holding his phone up for her to see.

  “Okay, well just lock my door on your way out.” She reaches into one of her concealed pockets and throws him the key to the room. He catches it casually and nods ever so slightly. 

  “I’ll stay with him to show him the way.” Coulson offers. Tony hadn’t even considered where he was supposed to be going. The control room must be somewhere in the middle, right?

  “Okay - see you both there then.” She says before silently disappearing down the corridor.

  As soon as she’s completely disappeared he dials the number on his phone and holds it up to his ear. It only takes a few rings before the call goes through.

  “Dad!” Peter exclaims through the speaker.

  The sound of his voice is like being punched in the gut. With everything that’s been going on, this is the first time he’s had time to wish he was back home. Soon Peter and Pepper will both be leaving the city and leaving the danger. They won’t be around when all of this stuff with the Tesseract goes down which is the best way. 

  “Hey, Sparky. How’s it going with Mom?” He smiles broadly, drinking in the sound of Peter’s voice. They should talk on the phone more often... 

  “She’s good! I’m doing homework. She says I can’t talk to Shuri until it’s done.” He tries to sound excited but still sounds off. There's no way he’s forgotten about Clint yet. 

  “Okay, well take care of her for me. It shouldn’t be long till I get back yet. We’ve got the guy here so now we just need to find Uncle Clint and fix him.” 

  “I hope you get back soon.” He mumbles quietly. There’s no pretense of excitement anymore.

  “I know - it won’t be too long. I’ll make sure I bring Uncle Clint and Auntie Nat back with me.”

  “Auntie Nat’s with you?!” He perks up slightly, his voice hitching. It’s been ages and ages since she saw him. 

  “She’s just left for a meeting now but, yeah, she’s here helping find him.”

  “Okay, see you soon then.” Slight hope has entered his voice now. As long as Peter is hopeful then Tony isn’t completely failing as a parent. 

  “Bye kiddo.” Tony smiles sadly and presses the hang-up button before he can stall any longer. Even though he’s hung up, he stays there holding the phone in his lap for a few seconds before getting up and standing by Coulson.

  “They’ll both be fine - we’ll get the Tesseract before Loki, Barton or Sellvig can go through with the plan,” Coulson says with utter confidence.

  “You sound pretty sure about that.”

  “Well look who we’ve got.”

  “What? The star-spangled man with a plan?” One of the first things Tony learned about Coulson was his love for Cap. He’s even shown Peter his vintage set of Captain America cards before. He has the same unwavering faith that his father and Peggy had - although it seems closer to Peggy’s admiration than Howard’s obsession.

  “A team. Not just Captain America but all of you. Agent Romanoff, Thor, Banner, Iron Man.” A team? So far they don’t feel like much of anything. They fight more than they agree. All of them seem to hate Tony as much as he dislikes them.

  “I’m not one of the Avengers.” 

  “I don’t think that really matters.” Coulson smiles weakly. “Shall we go join the others?”

  “After you.” He gestures out of the door, allowing Coulson to go on ahead, “Do you have anyone you’re worried about in the city?” They’ve spent a fair amount of time together but never actually talked. Not about anything important. Normally he’s chatting with Pepper or Peter, not him.

  “I do actually. A woman.”

  “Really, you’ve never mentioned her before.”

  “Comes with the job. It’s hard to keep a relationship like that when you are a part of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Coulson explains. He sounds as jovial as ever but there’s an underlying somberness deep in the words.

  “So, does this woman have a name?”

  “Audrey Nathan. She’ll be at her cello performance right about now.” He looks at his watch and smiles sadly. How much does she know about all of this? Does she know what he’s really doing right now instead of going to her performance?

  “A cellist?” Tony nods approvingly. “How long you two been together?”

  “A while now. We met through S.H.I.E.L.D, she was being attacked and S.H.I.E.L.D was called in to help her. Been together ever since.”

  “You know one day, when this is all over, we should get together and go somewhere. Bring your lady -” But before he can finish voices sound from the room ahead of them.

  “I think it’s about the mechanics. Iridium. What do they need the iridium for?” An unfamiliar voice speaks. As Tony gets closer he starts to recognise the man as one Bruce Banner. So it seems the whole group really is here - barring Barton of course.

  “It’s a stabilising agent.” Tony quickly gives his answer before turning back to Coulson, “You know, pick a weekend and I’ll fly us all out. Keep the love alive.” He says quietly but Coulson brushes him off, trying to head off in the other direction. Tony takes the hint and starts heading over to the large meeting table that everyone is gathered around.

  “It means the portal won’t collapse on itself like it did at S.H.I.E.L.D.” He finishes his train of thought, his hands in his pockets. Subconsciously he finds himself rubbing the small metal hacking disc in his pocket. Now would be the perfect time to plant it and figure out what’s actually going on around here. He just needs to wait for the perfect opportunity. How hard can it be to plant a device in a room filled with skilled top-secret government spies? He’s about to find out.

  Carefully he moves through the room, demanding attention from everyone. All of them are waiting for him to continue, listening for his next words without even realising it. He parades around the room, going around the edge of the table and heading towards the main consoles in the middle of the room. The big daddy S.H.I.E.L.D databases. His route takes him right past Thor who is standing at the table like Banner rather than sat down like the others.

  “No hard feelings point break, you’ve got a mean swing.” He gently taps Thor's muscle. Are muscles supposed to be that big? Is that even possible?

  “Also it means that the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long as Loki wants.” Tony carefully directs himself so he’s stood right by all the computers. No one even tries to stop him.

  Is this Fury’s little spot. It feels like it would be. The perfect spot to watch over everyone. He might give Fury shit but to be honest, he respects the guy. It’s pretty impressive really. 

  From up in front of the computers he can see all of the agents working around him. Hundreds of computers scanning through top-secret files, browsing through their texts, playing games. Not exactly what he’d imagined when he pictured S.H.I.E.L.D flying base but at the same time, exactly what he’d imagined.  

  “Uh, raise the mid mast, ship the topsails.” Tony pulls out his sailing knowledge. He’s been able to sail since he was ten and Maria brought him a boat but sailing’s never been his thing. “That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn’t notice but we did.” Tony snaps suddenly, pointing an accusatory finger at one of the agents without looking his way. Everyone is silently watching him. Judging him. _Overlooking_ him. 

  Making sure everyone is still watching, he raises one hand to cover his eye like an eyepatch. Instantly the row of computers to his side disappear into the black void. So this is what it’s like to be the elusive director.

  “How does Fury do this?”

  “He turns.” One of the high ranking agents grumbles.

  “Sounds exhausting.” Tony sighs, “The rest of the raw materials, Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he needs to get his hands on is a power source. A high energy density, something to kick start the cube.”

  As he speaks he fiddles with the screens, putting on a show so they don’t see him plant the disc. These agents might be good at working in the shadows but there’s a different kind of invisible. Loud invisible. The kind of invisible Tony has been all his life. You put on a show to distract everyone from what’s really going on. Make sure they only see the surface level, what you want them to see, not what’s going on underneath. Not what is really behind the mask. People don’t actually want to see beyond the mask or the surface which makes it easy to keep them from seeing it.

  By the time he comes to the end of his little song and dance, the disc has been planted and no one has even moved in their seat. The high ranking S.H.I.E.L.D agent who’d spoken before had a clear view of Tony the entire time and only looks bored. It’s a room full of the best spies in the country and a man with a flashy metal suit has beaten them all at their own game.

  “When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?” The high ranking agent asks curiously, her arms crossed tightly at her chest.

  “Last night.” Everyone looks at him completely dumbfounded, “The packet, Selvig’s notes, the Extraction Theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?” No one speaks up at all. Fury put together a team and not one of them have bothered to actually read up on the topic they’re dealing with.

  “Does Loki need a specific kind of power source?” Steve asks with a heavy sigh.

  “He’s got to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier.” Bruce finally speaks up. 

  “Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilise the quantum tunneling effect.” There’s no way that they can achieve that kind of fission - not with current technology - but Loki must’ve had a plan. There’s a reason he chose Selvig and Barton.

  “Well if he could do that he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet.” Slowly Tony makes his way over to bruce, moving around the back of the table and ignoring everyone else.

  “Finally, someone who speaks English.” Tony throws his arms up in the air in relief. It’s great to see someone he might actually be able to get on with around here.

  “Is that what that was?” Cap mumbles but Tony chooses to ignore him.

  “It’s good to meet you, Banner. Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled and I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.” Tony shakes Banner’s hand enthusiastically. Banner was the one he was most excited to meet here.

  “Thanks…” Banner says, looking down at his feet and fiddling with the glasses in his hand.

  The conversation is quickly forgotten about as Fury walks through the doors into the control room. He looks exactly the same as always - does he own any other clothes or does he just have lots of versions of the same outfit?

  “Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him.” Tony doesn’t believe that was really Fury’s plan but either way, it was a good call. From what he’s read in the files it sounds like Banner is the best man for the job. Who is more familiar with radiation than Bruce Banner himself?

  “Let’s start with that stick of his. It might be magical but it works an awful lot like a hydra weapon.” Steve pipes up, still leaning back in his chair casually.

  “I don’t know about that but it is powered by the cube. And I’d like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his own personal flying monkeys.” Fury grumbles seriously. 

  “Monkeys? I do not understand...” Thor frowns, clearly taking the statement way too seriously.

  “I do!” Cap says, more pumped about this than anything so far. If he wasn’t so pissed at the guy he would say it was kind of cute. As much as he hates to make the comparison, it kind of reminds him of Peter when he was younger. “I understood that reference.” He smiles proudly, looking around for any kind of recognition. 

  “Shall we play, doctor?” Tony cuts through the silence, wanting to get far away from all the others and get working. The sooner they find the cube, the sooner he can get back home and the sooner everyone is safe from whatever massive army Loki is planning on bringing here to earth. 

  Outside the lab window is the dark night sky. Star gleam in the far distance, hidden by occasional clouds as the helicarrier drifts silently through the night.

  The first thing they do upon entering the ab is to scan the scepter. Cap was right about one thing, it’s a good place to start. To get a reading on the cube, they’re going to need to track it down by looking at a very similar energy source. There are a few discrepancies but for the most part, they appear to be very similar. Both completely overpowered for this world. Like nothing, Tony has ever seen before. He thought the arc reactor technology was advanced but this is a whole new level. And this Tesseract has been around since long before the 1940s.

  “The gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig’s reports on the Tesseract. But it’s going to take weeks to process.” Bruce sighs dejectedly. 

  “Not if we bypass their mainframe and direct a reroute to the Homer cluster, we can clock this at around six hundred teraflops.” Tony mumbles, fiddling with his own home computer that he’s brought with him. S.H.I.E.L.D’s tech is good but not quite as good as his own. When the fate of the world is at stake, why settle for anything less than the best to work with?

  “All I packed was a toothbrush.” Banner chuckles and smiles weakly. Despite it only being a small smile, it seems genuine so Tony decides to count that was a win. 

  “You should come by Stark Tower sometime. The top half of the building is all R&D. You’d love it, it’s candy land.” Tony slowly approaches Banner who’s on the other side of the room. 

  He’s been thinking about inviting Banner all evening while they’ve been working. By inviting Banner he’d have to introduce him to Peter but that wouldn’t be so bad. With the exception of certain S.H.I.E.L.D agents, he’s been trying to keep Peter as secret as possible but Banner feels relatively trustworthy. Besides, Peter loves the guy. It would be kinda nice to have someone else working in the tower with them.

  “Thanks, but last time I was in New York I kind of broke...Harlem.”

  It’s strange, for someone with some much power and a great mind, he’s been completely ignoring his most important asset. His inner monster. He’s never seen someone so nervous - especially not when they’re like him. It seems like he’s actually suppressing his own abilities. Cowering away instead of trying to take control. He could be amazing if he just let loose every once and awhile.

  “Well, I promise a stress-free environment. No tension, no surprises.” Tony slowly walks around Banner, carefully holding his electrical prod. Once he’s close enough he lightly presses it against Banner's side, giving him a short sharp shock. Although he gasps, there’s no other response, “Nothing?” He doesn’t know what he’d been hoping for but something more than this…

  “Hey! Are you nuts?!” Cap busts into the room angrily. Tony had thought he would finally be free from the rest of them here but apparently now. This place is a free for all.

  “Juries out.” Tony mutters before turning back to Banner, “You really have a lid on it, haven’t you? What’s your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? A huge bag of weed?” Tony searches Banner's eyes curiously. There must be something.

  “Is everything a joke to you?” Cap scowls seriously. If this is what having a dad is like, he’s glad he never had one.

  “Funny things are.”

  “Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn’t funny. No offense, Doctor.”

  “It’s alright, I wouldn’t have come if I couldn’t handle pointy things.” Bruce almost sounds...amused. Well, would you look at that? Seems like they really might get along.

  As Banner talks, Tony walks over to his bag where a pack of Peter’s favorite blueberries are stashed. He doesn’t remember packing them himself so Peter must've snuck them in at some point. 

  “You’re tiptoeing, big man. You need to strut.” Everyone’s treating him like he’s made of glass so that’s how he’s treating himself but the truth is, he’s made of vibranium. Unbeatable, all-powerful and harnessable. 

  “And you need to focus on the problem at hand.” Steve chides as Tony reaches into his bag and grabs the packet.

  “You think I’m not? Why did Fury call us and why now? Why not before? What isn’t he telling us? I can’t do the equation unless I have all the variables.” 

  “You think Fury’s hiding something?” Cap frowns as if the idea hasn’t occurred to him. Does no one else feel like something is up?

  “He’s a spy, Captain. He’s _the_ spy. His secrets have secrets.” Tony throws a couple of blueberries into his mouth, “It’s bugging him too, isn’t it.” Tony turns and motions towards Banner. Something’s been grating on him all day and he’s willing to bet that it’s the same thing that’s been bugging Tony. 

  “Uh... I just want to finish my work here...” Banner bites his lip and gestures at all of the tech lying on the surfaces.

  “Doctor?” Cap cuts in, curiously.

  “ _A warm light for all mankind_ , Loki’s jab at Fury about the cube.” Banner mumbles after a beat of silence. He takes his glasses off thoughtfully, looking at the floor the whole time.

  “I heard it…” Cap mumbles.

  “Well, I think that was meant for you.” Banner points right at Tony. Instantly Tony holds the pack out towards Banner. It’s out of habit more than anything else. The same way he rewards Peter for a correct answer. For once he’s not the only one thinking these things, “Even if Barton didn’t tell Loki about the tower, it’s still posted all over the news.”

  “The Stark Tower? That big ugly-” Tony send him a glare. So much for being charming, “- building in New York.”

  “It’s powered by an arc reactor. A self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for what? A year?”

  “It’s just a prototype. I’m kind of the only name in clean energy right about now. That’s what he’s getting at.” He explains for a confused-looking Cap.

  “So why didn’t S.H.I.E.L.D bring him in on the Tesseract project? What are they doing in the energy business, to begin with?” Banner finishes Tony’s thoughts. None of it makes any sense.

  “I should probably look into that as soon as my decryption program finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D’s secure files.” He mutters casually. It might be a mistake to say that in front of Cap but he decides to anyway - just to see how he will react. Is he every bit the man Howard made him out to be or is there a piece of Pegg’s Steve left?

  “I'm sorry, did you say...?” Cap says, taken aback.

  “Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few hours, we'll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide.” He holds the pack out towards Cap, “Blueberry?”

  “Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around?” It almost sounds...judgemental. He’d thought that Cap of all people, being the pinnacle of all that is good and right, would understand. Or even just as someone who lived through the Nazis and Hydra.

  “An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome.”

  “I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war, and if you don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders, we should follow them.” Cap says diligently. It’s almost disappointing. He’d hoped there would be something, anything that would prove his father wrong but it all seems to be leaning towards Howard being right about the man.

  “Following is not really my style.” Tony shrugs.

  “And you're all about style, aren't you?” Steve gives him a false smile.

  “Of the people in this room, which one is; A, wearing a spangly outfit, and B, not of use?” Tony growls. All about style? Is that what he thinks? Just another person judging and daring not look any deeper for fear of what they might find. God, he thought he couldn’t hate him any more than he does. Peggy’s man is long gone. Frozen under the sea where he should’ve stayed.

  “Steve, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?” Banner tries to appeal to Cap reasonably unlike Tony. He knows he should probably try to be more reasonable but fuck that. He’s never cared for being reasonable it’s not who he is.

  “Just find the cube.” Cap growls, still processing. He can’t stay for a second longer, storming out of the room and heading in the opposite direction to the way he came in. God knows where he’s going to now.”

  “ That's the guy my dad never shut up about? Wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice.” Tony sighs deeply.

  “The guy's not wrong about Loki. He does have the jump on us.”

  “What he's got is an ACME dynamite kit. It's gonna blow up in his face, and I'm gonna be there when it does.” Tony says confidently. They have to believe they’ll succeed or what’s the point in trying?

  “And I'll read all about it.” Banner smiles weakly, going back to his work.

  “Uh-huh. Or you'll be suiting up like the rest of us.” Tony finally raises the topic. It’s clear what Fury’s true plan is. What he wants from Banner.

  “Ah, see. I don't get a suit of armor. I'm exposed, like a nerve. It's a nightmare.” Banner hisses like he’s been burned. You can see the fury rising inside him. He seems to constantly be in a state of repressing and succumbing to his own anger. Talk about a nightmare.

  “You know, I've got a cluster of shrapnel, trying every second to crawl its way into my heart.” He reaches and taps on the reactor buried in his chest. Slowly he approaches Banner again, pulling both of them away from their work. “This stops it. This little circle of light. It's part of me now, not just armor. It's a... terrible privilege.”

  On paper, the reactor doesn’t sound bad but to actually have it is a completely different matter. Every second is painful. He can feel the metal digging into his skin - pressing into his body. Sometimes at night, he thinks he can even feel the metal shards of shrapnel digging into him too. That’s not even starting on the restricted breathing and constant fear of having his one lifeline torn away at a moment's notice. The only reason he keeps going is by taking control of that fear. By using the suits. Making himself feel protected. Making the most of what he’s been dealt.

  “But you can _control_ it.” 

  “Because I learned how.” If only Banner would learn how to take control of his own situation.

  “It's different.” Banner shakes his head and starts going back to work again. Without any hesitation, he slides the files on the computer in front of Banner away, forcing them to look at one another properly.

  “Hey, I've read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure should have killed you.”

  “So you're saying that the Hulk... the other guy... saved my life? That's nice. It's a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?” 

  “I guess we'll find out.” Tony meets his eyes, challenging him but neither back down. After a second, Tony walks away, returning to his own desk and computer.

  “You may not enjoy that.” Banner mutters.

  “You just might.”

  After that they work in silence, waiting for the files to finish decrypting. Night draws to a close as they work. No one comes in again, leaving them to their own devices. As the sun begins to rise they finally finish writing the program that should detect the cube and set it up on the monitors. Now all that is left is to wait.

  When the screen finally dings to tell them the decryption is complete they don’t move. Completely frozen to the spot. This is the moment. The moment their questions are finally answered.

  Tony steps forward first, peering at the screen and searching for the files. After a few seconds Banner creeps over curiously and helps him sort through the files. Most of it is the stuff you’d expect to see in a place like S.H.I.E.L.D but there are a few things off.

  Tony finds himself drawn to a specific file under the name Phase 2. It buried under layers upon layers of encryption. A top-secret project. 

  “Bingo.” He mumbles as his eyes flicker over the files, “We’ve got you now Fury.”

  At that very moment, they both here loud footsteps heading towards the lab. Instinctively, Tony changes the monitor screen to the scans of the Tesseract, brushing aside the Phase 2 files they’d just decrypted. They just about have time to sit down on the countertops before Fury storms into the room, impatient and seething.

  “What are you doing Mr. Stark?” Fury hisses, glaring at them both sitting on the countertops in front of their computer monitor.

  “Uh...kind of been wondering the same thing about you,” Tony says casually, leaning back slightly.

  “You’re supposed to be locating the Tesseract.”

  “We are. The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile.” Bruce explains calmly but Tony can hear the rage bubbling underneath. Finally, he’s letting loose a little.

  “And you'll get your cube back, no muss, no fuss.” He stays calm and casual, watching as the screen changes into the files about Phase 2 again, “What is Phase 2?”

  Suddenly, a loud thud echoes through the lab as none other than Captain America himself steps in and throws a heavy metal gun onto the table. 

  “Phase 2 is S.H.I.E.L.D uses the cube to make weapons.” Cap growls, “Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow.” Tony almost feels like smiling. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe the man Peggy knew isn’t all gone. He’s not just the unquestioning, diligent soldier that Howard made him out to be.

  “Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're -” Fury tries to regain control of the situation but everything is spiraling. He moves to stand face to face with Cap, seeming to forget Tony and Banner are here too. 

  “I'm sorry, Nick.” Tony interrupts the director, pulling open one of the files that demonstrates the weapons they were making down in their lair, “What were you lying?”

  “I was wrong, director. The world hasn't changed a bit.” Cap hisses

  Of course, right then Thor and Nat walk in. Nat doesn’t even question the situation, fixing her eyes on Banner alone. There’s a purpose in the way she moves. A mission. Has she always known about this? He wouldn’t put it past her. 

  “Did you know about this?” Banner hisses, pointing to the screens.

  “You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?” Although it’s disguised as a question it sounds like a warning more than anything. Maybe even a threat.

  “I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed.”

  “Loki's manipulating you.” She’s probably right but that doesn’t change anything. Fury is still doing this. Making the same mistakes Tony himself did. 

  “You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you.”

  “Yes, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.” Banner demands. It’s more backbone than he’s ever seen on the guy.

  “Because of him.” Fury finally responds and points at Thor. It’s not quite what Tony had been expecting but he’s nowhere near as surprised as Thor appears to be.

  “Me?” He asks softly.

  “Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned.” 

  Tony’s mind goes back to the footage from New Mexico. It had been going on at the same time he was moping around his mansion. The footage in the files had shown a huge metal beast completely destroying a small town there which Thor had been just about able to destroy. If more things like that truly are out there, is Fury wrong?

  “My people want nothing but peace with your planet.” 

  “But you're not the only people out there, are you?” Fury snaps before regaining his composure, “And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled.” Controlled...it’s an interesting choice of words. Is that what he’s doing here. Controlling them. Some strange kind of anger rises up inside him. It burns in his chest and his mind. 

  “Like you controlled the cube?” Cap accuses.

  “Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war.” Thor joins in the arguing, drawing closer to the group just to loom over them. 

  “A higher form?” Cap frowns.

  “You forced our hand. We had to come up with something.” Fury steps up to challenge Thor, standing by his beliefs and choices firmly.

  “Nuclear deterrent. `Cause that always calms everything right down.” Tony snorts. Never has that actually worked. He’s learned first hand that there are better things than making things that blow up. That destruction and threats aren’t always the best way.

  “Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?” Fury rounds on him, snapping at him grouchily.

  “I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep.” Cap intervenes. 

  “Wait! Wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?” Anger floods through his veins like poison. 

  Everything is always his fault with these people! He’s always going to be the villain in their eyes. Never good enough. Even some freak from outer space and a dude with anger issues rank higher than him.  

  As the anger becomes stronger he finds himself forgetting things. Forgetting that things that ground him until the only memories he has are of Howard and his obsession. It’s like there’s nothing outside of those things anymore.

  “I'm sorry, isn't everything?” Cap snarls and starts rounding on Tony again.

  “I thought humans were more evolved than this.” Thor scoffs, parading above all of them.

  “Excuse me, did _we_ come to _your_ planet and blow stuff up?” Fury grumbles. 

  “Did you always give your champions such mistrust?” It’s probably the first thing Thor has said that Tony actually agrees with.

  Everything quickly descends from there. Soon he can’t even remember what he’s saying. All he feels is the anger and the strange, high pitched ringing at the back of his head. Fire burns through him, taking control of everything. He doesn’t even realise that he’s lost control until Banner's voice finally gets through to him. 

  “It's his M.O., isn't it? I mean, what are we, a team? No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're... we're a time-bomb.” Banner snarls.

  “You need to step away.” Fury steps closer to Banner. Always the orders and control with these people. They all need to learn to leave people alone and let them do what they want. That’s what he’s always said...right?

  “Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?” He places one hand on Cap’s shoulder, baiting him. 

  “You know damn well why! Back off!” Cap shoves Tony’s hand off of him, aggressively.

  “Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me.” Tony snarls and moves slightly closer, forcing them face to face.

  “Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?”

  “Genius, billionaire, philanthropist.”

  “I know guys with none of that worth ten of you.” The words strike a chord deep inside him. He might not be the best person in the world - sometimes he doesn’t even feel like a good person - but he’s not the worst person. He’s not the scum under _Captain America’s_ shoes, no matter how much they all want to treat him that way. 

  “Yeah, I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.”

  It’s strange, as he talks Tony can almost feel the fire inside him fading away because he’s wrong. He’s so wrong. He doesn’t fight for himself - he hasn’t for years and years now. He fights for what he loves just like everyone else.

  What he loves…

  The image of Pepper and Peter curled up in bed comes back to him, pulling him back down to the ground. His family. His home. That’s what he fights for. For them and for everyone like him. He’s already laid down on a wire for them. 

  “I think I would just cut the wire." He can keep on lying on the wire to protect his family but that's not always the best way. When possible he'd find another way out. Something better. A way for everyone to survive. 

  “Always a way out…" Cap snorts with a fake smile. "You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero." He spits viciously.

  “A hero? Like you?” Captain America might have been his image of a hero growing up but it’s been a long time since then. “You're a lab rat, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle!” He steps forward, taking back control of the situation. His arc reactor is painfully unprotected but he doesn’t even care.

 **"** Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds.” 

  "You people are so petty... and tiny." Thor bellows, distracting him and Tony from their argument. For some reason, without the fiery rage flowing through him the high pitched ringing has returned. It stabs burning hot needles in his head, completely tearing him away from the conversation at hand. His hand massages his head but the ringing only gets louder. Looking around no one else seems bothered - they’re just going about their normal lives, but his head is burning. He can’t hear anything but the ringing.

  But then suddenly, it stops and the room falls into complete silence except for Banner’s voice.

  "In case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I know! I tried!" Everyone holds their breaths making the room deadly silent, "I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out! So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good, until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk!" 

  Everything drains out, leaving Tony empty. After all that Bruce was still here standing in this room. Still getting on with his life. They might be in a room filled with superheroes but after having to face the concept of his own impending death for months he already knows that Bruce is the strongest person in the room.

  "You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?" He reaches behind him and grabs the scepter from the stand, holding it in his clenched fist. Everyone suddenly goes on guard - Fury, and Nat even grab their guns from the holsters.

  As Bruce gets angrier, the ringing gets stronger again. It pulses in his head, drilling holes through him.

  “Doctor Banner... put down the scepter.” Cap is the first one to speak.

  Luckily, before anything can happen, the computers around them all start beeping. A map flashes up on the nearest one with a bright blue flashing dot. They’ve done it. They’ve actually found the Tesseract. 

“Got it,” Tony shouts out, relieved that the high pitched ringing seems to finally have gone for good.

 Instantly, Bruce puts the scepter back down - regaining his composure. It’s not just him, the others seem to have all relaxed slightly too. Like whatever was happening before has just vanished altogether.

  “Sorry, kids. You don't get to see my little party trick after all.” Bruce mumbles as he stumbles over to the computer.

  “Located the Tesseract?” Thor asks hopefully but stays in position as Natasha runs after Bruce. 

  “I can get there faster.” Tony offers, praying to be allowed to go. Right now he needs some time to relax and some fresh air. Something to help him clear his mind. Space from Cap and all the others. 

  “Look, all of us -” Cap tries to speak but Thor cuts him off instantly, the chaos in the room rising once again. 

  “The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it.” Thor tries to explain but at this point, he doesn’t care. He needs to escape and at least this way he can also be useful. Unfortunately, Cap catches his arm before he can leave the room, trapping him with a superhuman grip. 

  “You’re not going alone.” It might be rooted in good intentions but there’s no way Tony is letting _Captain America_ join him on a little adventure. Not after the things they just said to each other. He slaps Cap’s arm away, drawing closer. 

 **“** You gonna stop me?” He arches his eyebrows and grits his teeth.

  “Put on the suit, let's find out.” He snarls, his lips curling upwards.

  “I'm not afraid to hit an old man” 

  “Put on the suit.”

  But neither of them get a chance to as Bruce finally reads the coordinates of the Tesseract. 

  “Oh, my God!” 

  There’s a loud boom and the ship vibrates underfoot. Fire erupts from the center of the room, throwing everyone backwards in the air. With all the smoke and debris around them, all that Tony can make out is Steve beside him. 

  “Put on the suit.” 

  “Yeah.” All thoughts of the minutes before are gone. If Tony wants to even start being helpful then he's going to have to get suited up. Without his suit, he's pretty much useless in this scenario. 

  Neither of them argues as they race through the ship to the storage rooms where Tony left the suit. In fact, they work together in synchrony to dodge the obstacles left in the wake of the explosion and help the injured agents. With the exception of Rhodey, he doesn't think he's actually worked this well with someone before. 

  God he wishes Rhodey was here right now. This would all be so much easier if he was here to help out. 

  As they get closer, voices from the control room start coming through the earpiece in Tony’s ears. 

  “Turbine’s loose. Mostly intact, but it’s impossible to get out there and make repairs while we’re in the air.” Unfamiliar voices are speaking. They must be some of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents on board. 

  “We lose one more engine, we won’t be. Somebody’s gotta get inside and patch that engine.”

  “Stark, you copy?” Fury’s voice directly addresses him. 

  “I’m on it.” He responds into the earpiece. Of course Fury knew he’d be hooked up to the communications. Everything is always up to him…

  Although they’ve arrived at the storage unit, Tony waves Steve off. Right now they need all hands on deck, it’s no use having cap here waiting for him. Besides, he’ll be able to get to the turbines faster without Steve there.

  “Find engine three, I’ll meet you there.” He snaps at Steve without meaning to. Fortunately, Steve doesn’t take it badly, nodding and heading off in the other direction as fast as he can. 

  With him gone, Tony steps into the storage container. Ahead of him, the red and gold suit glistens - ready for use. 

  “We’ve got work to do…” He mumbles.

  Sure enough, he’s much faster getting to the turbines with the suit. Instead of traveling through the maze of confusing corridors that make up the helicarriers, he heads outside and flies around to the turbines.

  They might not be labeled on the outside but he can tell which one they mean. The damage looks much worse from out here. The turbine is completely loose, black smoke pouring out of it. No wonder the entire helicarrier shook like that. They seriously need to get it up and running again before Loki’s men attack any of the other turbines.

  As fast as he can, he flies over to the turbine and examines it closer up. There’s debris blocking the turbine which is stopping it from spinning as it should be. If he can just cut it free…

  “Stark, I’m here!” Steve shouts out to garner Tony’s attention. Tony’s actually surprised he got here this fast. It’s an impressive feat. There’s some truth to the legends.

  “Good. See what we’ve got.” He shouts out and begins flying closer, “I gotta get this superconducting cooling system back online before I can access the rotors and work on dislodging the debris.” It’s going to be more complicated than he’d hoped. Still not hard but...inconvenient considering the time constraints.

  He carefully starts repositioning the dislodged cooling systems, setting them back into their correct spots so they’re no longer hanging out loosely. 

  “I need you to get to that engine control panel and tell me what relays are in the overload position.” He calls out to Steve naturally, not even considering what Steve would be capable of. However, Steve doesn’t even question the orders as he swings over to the panel, leaving Tony to his work. 

  He catches sight of Steve by the panel, staring at the cables and motherboards blankly.

  “What does it look like in there?” He asks over the earpiece. 

  “It seems to run on some form of electricity.” Steve offers up, attempting (and failing) to be helpful. 

  “Well, you’re not wrong.” This might be even harder than he’d first thought….

  He has to talk Steve through every step as he keeps working on the systems but thankfully, Steve is actually a quick learner. He listens to every step Tony gives and follows it perfectly, not needing to be told twice. By the time they’ve finished Tony has moved onto the final stage, dislodging the debris…

  “Even if I clear the rotors, this thing won’t clear without a jump…I’m gonna have to get in there and push.” He muses staring at the mess before him. It might be difficult but not impossible. Especially since Steve is here to help him out. Why can’t anything ever be easy?

  “Well if you get that thing up to speed you’ll be shredded.” Steve points out. Tony might have been wrong thinking he was clueless…he might have been wrong about a lot of things...

  “Then stay in the control unit and reverse the polarity long enough to disengage mag -”

  “Speak English!” Steve yells. Tony had gotten so used to talking to Steve he’d kinda forgotten he doesn’t actually know these things…

  “See that red lever? It’ll slow the rotors down long enough for me to get out. Stand by it and wait for my word.” Tony briefly explains before flying down and carefully cutting the debris up into manageable pieces. The cut pieces are much easier to dislodge, only requiring and sharp hit as he jumps on them to free them from the rotors. But that’s just the easy part. Now he has to actually push…

  Things then decide to go from bad to worse as one of the other engines malfunctions. Without anyone on the inside, he has no clue what’s going on except for the very helpful update from Fury.

  “Stark, we’re losing altitude.” Fury shouts through the headset as if Tony somehow hadn’t noticed the helicarrier falling through the air.

  “Yeah. Noticed,” he grumbles through gritted teeth. He’s gotten inside the rotors but he’s gotta get them moving much faster much sooner. Any delays and all of them will be splats on the floor - except Tony who’ll be a splat on the rotors. 

  He keeps ramping up the thrusters, feeling the blades getting faster and faster. Every time they get a little easier to push as they begin catching up to his speed. 

  “Cap, I need the lever!” Tony yells, the blades losing contact with his hands.

  “I need a minute here,” Steve yells through the earpiece. He has no visual on the situation but the gunshots definitely aren’t a good sign, he’s so dead. 

  “Lever. Now!” He yells, trying his best to speed up and match the rotors.  

  One of the rotors hit his back, sending him plummeting to the bottom of the rotors painfully. Every hit of the rotors smashes him up, bruising every part of his body. And yet there’s still no word from Steve. He’s almost certain that he’s dead when the blades finally slow down and spit him out. His suit might be in bad shape but you know what? He doesn’t give a fuck. 

  He’s about ready to sleep for a decade when Fury’s voice starts coming through the earpieces.

 

  “Agent Coulson is down. They called it.”

 

  Death has always been a funny thing. One minute you’re planning a holiday and the next minute they’re gone. Like that. It’s the first time in six years that he’s felt like this. Shattered all the way down to the bone. Sure, other people have died in that time, but not like this. Not this suddenly. Not someone this good. 

  His mind instantly goes to Nat and Clint. To his girlfriend, the cellist. Heck, even to Pepper and Peter. To all the people out there who cared about him. 

  He can’t even look up as Fury addresses him and Steve, two of the few remaining members. Nat is out there with Clint somewhere, mourning on their own as him and Steve get chewed out.

  He should probably be checking on Clint but he's got Nat now which is all that matters. They need some space just like he does. 

  Steve sits beside him, holding the bloody vintage cards Coulson was so proud of. The ones he always kept safe and well looked after in his locker - not in his pocket as Fury would have them believe.

  “We’re dead in the air. Our communications, the location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. I got nothing for you. I lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming.” Fury sounds genuinely remorseful, it’s an odd look for him. Not something Tony had been expecting. They’d worked together for decades which must stand for something. 

  “Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though because I was planning something even riskier.” Fury paces around them, his eyes locking on the back of Tony’s head, “There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together, when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could.” Fury’s eyes burn through his head, “Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes.”

  He can’t listen to this anymore. He needs to get out. Cool off. Figure out how to get through this.

  Not waiting for Fury to finish his rambling monologue, Tony pushes up off of the chair and storms out of the room. 

  Why did Coulson do that? He went up against Loki, tried to stop him single-handedly. Sure, he’s proved that he has field skills but he wasn’t ever really a field officer. Not like Nat and Clint. He should’ve left it to someone else. Stayed alive for Audrey. Taken care of himself. Why did he go out there? What did he have to prove?

  “Was he married?” Steve creeps up behind him quietly.

  “Uh, he had a cellist...I think.” He doesn’t dare say anymore. Mourning him was one thing but admitting he liked the guy - that they were...friends. That would hurt too much. 

  “I’m sorry. He seemed like a good guy.” Steve tries to console him as best he can.

  “He was an idiot.”

  “Why? For believing.” Yeah. For believing in Tony. Sometimes it felt like he was one of the few. But he can’t say that.

  “For taking on Loki alone.”

  “He was doing his job.”

  “He was out of his league. He should’ve waited. He should’ve…” He should’ve been here…

  “Sometimes there isn’t a way out.” And that’s what scares him the most.

  “Right, how did that work out for him.” Tony holds in the tears, focusing on the task ahead.  He can’t stay here. He’d gotten away to get space but as usual, Steve was ruining that. He tries to walk away again but Steve just chases after him.

  “This is the first time you lost a soldier.” A soldier? Coulson was many things but a soldier wasn’t one of them. A mentor. A friend. A boyfriend. A collector. A fanboy. A leader. Not a soldier. His life shouldn’t have been forfeit for being a good person.

  “We are not soldiers!” None of us are. We’re people.

  Clint’s a geek. A weirdo who loves playing games with Peter and archery. Someone who is as obsessed with coffee as Tony and has a weird liking for air vents and gymnastics.

  Natasha is still young. She still gets nightmares every night she sleeps over. She loves children and always wears a friendship necklace.

  Bruce is just a scientist out of his depths. Someone who has already tried and failed to take his own life. Someone forcefully dragged into this without any training in the slightest.

  And Tony, he’s just a man in a can.

  Not soldiers. Just humans.

  “I’m not marching to Fury’s fife.” He snarls, his mind going back to those bloody cards. Manipulation, that’s all they are. Trying to pull at Tony’s heartstrings to get him to bend.

  “Neither am I! He’s got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we’ve got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list -”

  “He made it personal…” An idea suddenly comes to his mind.

  “That’s not the point.” 

  “That _is_ the point. Loki’s point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?”

  “To tear us apart.”

  “He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That’s what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience.” Everything is falling into place. He can tell he’s close now.

  “Right, I caught his act at Stuttgart.”

  “Yeah, that’s just the preview, this is opening night. Loki’s a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered…” 

   _Stark Tower_.

  “Sonofabitch.”

 

~~~

 

  "Come on Peter, it's time to leave." Pepper shouts out, her voice echoing through the building. 

  "But I'm talking to Shuri!" He's curled up in bed with Dad's laptop on his lap. Shuri laughs from the other side, hanging off of her bed she appears upside on the laptop screen. 

  Ever since Dad left he’s been doing whatever he can to take his mind off of things. Off of Uncle Clint and everything he overheard. As long as he’s busy or chatting to Shuri he’s just about able to push the scary thoughts out of his mind. 

  "You can talk to her on the plane. A plane we need to go to right now. It’s going to leave in an hour and a half. Unlike _some people,_ I actually like to arrive early." She not so subtly jabs at Dad.

  When they fly with Dad they're _always_ late. Every time. Peter thinks he must purposely try to be late which seems a bit silly. Personally, he hates being late. Every time he's late for school his teacher puts on his best-disappointed face which makes him want to curl up under his bed until he disappears. 

  “Can’t I just stay here with Happy?” He whines and flops back on his bed grouchily.

  “Peter…” His bedroom door opens and Pepper appears in the doorway. She’s still putting on her earrings, fiddling with them as she talks, “We talked about this.” She sighs apologetically. 

  “I don’t wanna go. I wanna stay here! I don’t wanna miss school.” Pepper closes her eyes and runs her fingers through her loose, straight hair, “Please, Mom.” He flashes her his best puppy dog eyes as a last-ditch attempt. 

  Ever since Dad left for his secret superhero business Pepper has been adamant about going back home - the old home. She was always going to go back for a week but without Dad here she won’t let Peter stay. It meant he’d have to keep missing school for the whole week until they finally flew back here. It meant he’d have to leave Ned all alone for days.

  “It’s fine - I’ll take care of him.” Happy tries to reassure her but she still seems uncertain.

  “I believe it would be more beneficial for Peter’s education and mental health to stay here and attend school. I shall keep a close eye on both of them until sir returns.”

  “Fine, fine. But I’d feel better if you were with me.” She smiles sadly and tries to stand up tall. He never wants to make her sad but this is where he needs to be. Besides, Dad will be back soon so there’s no point in him leaving with her. 

  Before she can turn to leave he shoves Dad’s laptop to one side and jumps off of the bed. He runs right over to her and wraps his arms around her waist.

  Although it doesn’t look like it, he has actually been getting taller. Sure, he’s still the shortest in his class - in the whole year - but now he doesn’t have to hug her legs whenever she’s standing up. Everyone says it makes him cute but he doesn’t want to be cute. Cute sucks. He wants to be tough and strong like Dad so he can save everyone. How will he scare baddies away if he’s cute?

  “I’m gonna miss you.”

  “I’m going to miss you too.” She kisses the top of his head and hugs him gently, “You have to take care of the house. Make sure Happy doesn’t cause any trouble.” She lets go of him and relays his mission orders. 

  “Yes, Ma'am.” He stands up super duper straight just like Uncle Rho Rho taught him and salutes just like a real soldier.

  “Good boy.” She chuckles, “You boys don’t make a mess. “ She chides them both jokingly. 

  “We’ll try not to.” Happy laughs, “I’ll drop you off at the airport now then.”

  “What about Peter?”

  “I’ll be fine - me, J.A.R.V.I.S and Shuri can hang out! It’ll be fun!” He can still see Shuri laying on her bed through the laptop screen, watching their conversation curiously.

  “It won’t be long, I’ll come back as quick as I can.” Happy reassures her seriously. Knowing him he’ll do absolutely everything he can get back. Everything except breaking the law...maybe.

  "See you soon!" 

  "Don't eat all the ice cream!" Happy says firmly. You steal a pint of ice cream from the freezer one time and you’re punished for it every second onwards… 

  "I won't." He flushes red, "Bye, Mom." He hugs her legs tightly. 

  "Call me when your dad gets home."

  "I will." He promises diligently. Dad will want to talk to her when he gets back anyway. 

  And without another look back, they've gone. He can hear as they walk away and get into the elevator to head downstairs. 

  Although he's certain he wants to stay here and wait for Dad, part of him is terrified. Terrified Mom and Happy will disappear like Uncle Clint did.

  "Peter?" Shuri asks cautiously from his computer. He'd forgotten she was still here until he heard her voice. 

  "Um, yeah. I'm coming." He clears his throat and skips over to the bed.

  Pretty soon, he's almost forgotten about all that stuff completely, getting engrossed in the conversation at hand. 

  “Peter...I believe someone has entered the building…” J.A.R.V.I.S mumbles, uncertainly.

  “Happy? Already?” He shouldn’t already be back, it takes at least thirty minutes to get to the airport without traffic. Maybe they forgot something…

  “Not Happy. Someone not authorised or on my database.”

  “What are they doing at the tower? Are they trying to steal something?” Shuri finally sits up and turns around so she’s no longer upside down. She shuffles closer to the screen as if somehow she’ll be able to get through the screen to join Peter. 

  “I don’t believe so. They don’t seem to have any intentions to do harm...at least not to anyone in this building.”

  “Should I go check it out?”

  “I don’t recommend that - your father is already on his way back but unfortunately, he’s still quite far away.” Worry slips into J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice. Normally J.A.R.V.I.S’s advice is right but Peter can't just sit here. Besides, he doesn’t want to do anything bad...what’s the issue with just going to have a look.

  “I’m going to go.” Peter clenches his jaw and tries to scowl menacingly.

  “I don’t know, Peter…” Shuri mumbles uncertainly. Normally she’d be all for something like this...

  “It’ll be fine. I’ll bring Auntie Nat’s knife with me just in case.” He might not be able to actually use the knife to hurt anyone but if he hides it, he has a backup plan.

  Before J.A.R.V.I.S or Shuri can stop him he grabs the knife and slides it into his trainers, hiding it from view. Walking hurts but he feels better having it close. Hopefully, he won’t have to use it.

  “I’m just going to look…” He mutters.

  “Peter…”  Shuri is super close to the screen now, trying to think of anything to get Peter to stay.

  “Young Master - I recommend you stay put.”

  “It’ll only be quick. I’ll call you back in a minute.” He goes over to the computer and hangs up on Shuri. She’ll probably go straight to her brother but there’s nothing he’ll be able to do - even if he is a prince. After all, both of them are still in Wakanda.

  “Young Master…”

  “Stop worrying - it’ll be fine,” Peter says with his strong voice. He’s gotta be tough now. Find out what this person really wants, “Wish me luck.” He forces himself to smile and grabs a hold of the doorknob. J.A.R.V.I.S doesn’t say anything as he steps out of his room into the corridor but Peter can sense him right there beside him. 

  It’s much quieter than he’d been expecting. Deadly silent. He was expecting some noise or something but there’s nothing. No talking or footsteps or even breathing. It’s just him and the silence.

  Trying to stay as quiet as possible, he creeps over to the open doorway into the living room and peeks around. For a second he thinks the room is empty but just as he goes to enter, he notices someone moving. They're completely silent as they move - as if they're a ghost. Maybe they're one of Autie Nat and Uncle Clint's friends. Another spy. 

  Peter hides in the shadows and watches the person. From the darkness, it's hard to properly see them but they look like a man with long black hair gelled back. He's wearing a black and green coat which flows right down to his ankles. Even the movement of the coat seems to be completely silent. 

  Slowly, he gets louder and louder, his footsteps becoming audible as he paces back and forth. As his pacing gets faster, the sounds get louder. He's still not _loud_ but he's audible now. 

  Eventually, he seems to get bored of pacing and grabs a strange metal ball out of thin air. Cautiously, he throws the ball up in the air getting a feel for it. After a few throws, another ball appears but instead of trying to catch the second ball, he just lets it orbit around the first ball as he throws it up and down. Slowly the balls seem to change into strange planets but not like the ones Dad showed him. Strange different ones he's never seen before. 

  "Woah. Are those planets?" Peter gasps, moving closer to the strange man. 

  At the sound of Peter's voice, the man flinches and drops the balls. The original ball falls to the ground with a clatter while the second one disappears like a mirage. 

  "Who are you?" The man seethes, his lips curling up into a snarl. 

  "Was that magic?" Peter ignores his question and walks even closer. With every step he takes the man tenses. He never backs away but he looks like he wants to so Peter stops moving closer. 

  "What would you know about magic, Midgardian?" The man snarls like a dog backed into a corner. 

  "I saw magic on the TV and in films. Happy likes to do magic tricks sometimes but he's really bad. He can never find my card…." Sometimes Peter just pretends Happy found the right card just to make him happy. 

  "Card tricks? Don't confuse my magic with that of you foolish mortals. I am in a completely different league." The man snorts casually but stays completely tensed. It doesn't look aggressive though. Actually, it looks defensive, as if he's waiting for Peter to pounce and attack him.

  A sly smirk rises to the man's lips as he waves his hand elegantly. As he waves his hand an identical model of Peter appears next to the man. Other Peter copies every motion Peter makes. As Peter waves, the Other Peter waves back like a mirror. When Peter raises his hand, so does the Other Peter. 

  "Your magic is so cool and powerful! You can create illusions!" Peter gasps and moves even closer. For the first time, the man actually backs away, his defenses dropping for a second, "Can you teach me?" 

  "...Teach...you...?" The man frowns softly. His eyes dart about, scanning Peter cautiously, "Why would you want to learn magic?" 

  "So I can be a Superhero! Are you a Superhero?" His clothes and magic make him look like a superhero. Maybe that's why he's here, he's coming to try and talk to Dad. Mom did say he was going to go meet some other superheroes…. 

  "A Superhero? Why would _I_ be a _Superhero_?" The man spits the word like it's an insult. 

  "You look like a Superhero to me." 

  "I can assure you, small Midgardian, that I am by no means a _Superhero_." He chuckles almost...wistfully.

  "Really?" 

  "Do you not know who I am? I am Loki Laufeyson and I am here to rule over all you puny Midgardians." Loki takes a step closer to Peter this time, his step smaller than Peter’s had been. As he gets closer the Other Peter disappears, just like the ball-planet-thing had earlier 

  "All of us?" 

  "What?" Loki drops his guard again, as he frowns thoughtfully. 

  "Are you going to rule over all of the humans, Mr. Loki, sir? Because it sounds like a lot of work." If it didn't require lots of work Shuri and J.A.R.V.I.S would've done it ages ago. They'd been talking about doing it for ages now. 

  "Maybe for a weak Midgardian like you, but I am not weak." 

  "You're super duper powerful, Mr. Loki sir."

  "Super duper…?" Loki scrunches up his face and mumbles to himself, "What's your name, small human?" 

  "I'm Peter Parker."

  "Well, Peter Parker, I don't think you realise who I am?" Loki snarls and starts walking very quickly towards Peter.

  As he gets closer his skin seems to change colour - the fair skin from before darkening into bright blue skin. Pale blue lines line his skin, making delicate, elegant patterns across the blue canvas. His once icy blue eyes have gone red, standing out beside his blue skin. 

  Loki keeps on going until he's close enough to touch Peter but Peter stands his ground. Cold radiates from Loki's skin, covering Peter as if there was a thin layer of snow resting on Peter's skin. 

  "Woah! You're an alien?! That's so cool! I wish I had blue skin."

  "Are you an idiot, small human?" 

  "Dad says I'm very smart but I'm still only six." Sometimes Dad just says things to make Peter feel happy but Peter can always tell. He might be clever for a six-year-old but that doesn’t mean he’s super duper clever like Dad. Besides, Shuri is much smarter than him. 

  "Only idiots don't fear dangerous things."

  "You don't seem very dangerous to me."

  He's seen a lot of dangerous people, been face to face with his fair share of baddies but Loki doesn't seem like them. He doesn't have the malice and viciousness of Obie or the cold ruthlessness of the big robots. In a way, he kind of reminds Peter of Dad. 

  "Then you are a bigger fool than I thought…" Loki mumbles as his blue skin disappears again. 

  "If you're an alien then was the planet you made earlier your home?" 

  "Not home." Something that resembles sadness sparkles in Loki's eyes. His hand clenches into a fist, holding tightly onto his clothes.

  "Where then?" 

  "It's the place where I was kept as a prisoner for centuries." He spits, his lips curving up into a vicious, hollow snarl.

  "Centuries? You don't look like you're that old." He doesn’t even look as old as Dad or Uncle Clint...

  "Looks can be deceiving." Loki chuckles.

  "Can you show me what it looked like? Your prison?" He’s never seen a real alien planet before. Just things in movies. Dad would love to see an alien planet!

  "Why would I show you anything?" 

  "My old teacher said sometimes people are sad and scared and that they just need some company."

  "I'm not sad or scared - and I certainly don't need the company of a small _Midgardian_." Loki hisses and stalks away, keeping half an eye on Peter. 

  "What's a Midgardian?" He's never heard a word like that before. Is he supposed to know what that means? Loki keeps calling him it but he has no idea what it’s supposed to be. He says it like it’s an insult. 

  "What you are.” Loki nods at him, disgusted. It’s the same way Happy looked at the cockroach that Dad snuck into his bed last month. 

  "And what are you?" Loki takes a deep breath in and pauses for a moment, thoughtful. 

  "A frost giant."

  "A frost giant? People call you that?" It doesn't sound like the name of an alien species. It actually sounds kind of…silly. 

  "Other people do."

  "What about you? What do you call yourself?"

  "Jotunn." He mumbles quietly, his voice almost inaudible, "I'm a Jotunn." He clarifies with a steadier voice. 

  "Are all Jotunn's like you? If so, I like them." 

  "Jotunn's aren’t known for being nice. People see them as monsters of nightmare. Murderers and pillagers. The worst form of monster." He doesn’t look like a monster to Peter. He looked amazing! Much cooler than a human. 

  "That doesn't sound nice. What kind of people?" 

  "My jailers."

  "Well, you don't seem like a monster to me." He smiles genuinely, hoping that Loki will believe him. #hoping that Loki isn't one of those people that believes Jotunn are monsters. 

  "That's because you're a small human idiot." Loki sighs and sends a scowl at Peter but he doesn't back away.

  Loki stays scowling for a few seconds before waving his hand and changing the scenery around them. The white walls of the tower fade away into a completely new scene. A new _world_. 

  A golden castle looms in the distance, perfect and pristine but _too_ perfect and pristine. It feels like a weight resting on his shoulders. Pressuring him. Crushing him. 

  A huge city rises up around the castle, just as perfect and beautiful. Waterfalls pour down the walls, tumbling into the void of space beneath it. 

  "Wow…this was your prison….it looks…beautiful." More beautiful than anything he’s ever seen before.

  "It was." He mumbles wistfully, "A gilded prison." Loki clears his throat and snaps his fingers, taking away the image. 

  "Did you like it there?" Peter asks cautiously. There’s something about Loki. Something about the way he talks...

  "Why would I like it there? It was a prison!" 

  "I dunno, it just sounds like you like it. It's like when my dad pretends he doesn't like the bots or when he talks about when he was a kid.”

  Dad doesn’t often talk about being a kid but when he does, he sounds funny. He makes sure to never talk about him Dad which is strange. Peter always makes sure to talk about Dad - even if he’s not allowed to tell anyone Dad’s real name. 

  "Don't compare me with your father." 

  "Why did you come here then? Why didn't you go home to your mom or dad? If I’m scared I always go to mom and dad. Mom likes baking cakes with me when I'm upset and it always cheers me up." 

  "I have no mother and father." Loki stares at Peter, assessing him the same way the bots do. 

  "Are they up in the clouds with my mom?" 

  "I thought you said your mom bakes with you?" Peter’s actually kind of surprised that Loki had been listening to that. Sometimes people just ignore Peter when he’s talking. Happy says he talks too much. 

  "Well, Peppers not my real mom. My real mom had to go into the clouds but now Pepper is like my mom. It might not be like Ned or Shuri's moms but she still teaches me and cuddles me and tucks me in at night and sings songs with me while dad plays the piano. That makes her my mom. It makes her my real Mom too.”

  "Well, I have no one like that. Just imposters." Loki growls. Even though he knows it's a lie, he decides to let it go. 

  "That sounds lonely," Peter mumbles quietly. He can feel the knife in his shoe digging in slightly. Cautiously he bends down and pulls it out, studying it curiously. Loki might not want company but maybe…

  "My auntie gave me this knife to help someone but I don't really know what to do with it. I think you'll be better at finding someone to help with it." Peter carefully hands the knife over to Loki. For a few seconds, the Jotunn watches with narrowed eyes but eventually, he reaches out a hand to take the knife. Neither of them speak as he slips it into his robes.

  At that very second, there's a loud thud outside as the Iron Man suit lands on the landing pad. At first, he doesn’t seem to notice Peter as the machine takes off his suit. As usual, he doesn’t seem even slightly scared as he saunters down the landing over to the tower. At least not until he spots Peter sat beside Loki.

  “Peter! What are you doing here? J.A.R.V.I.S said the plane had already left!” Dad hisses, moving protectively to guard him.

  “I wanted to stay and talk to Shuri.” He mumbles. 

  “You need to go back to your room right now!” Dad growls through gritted teeth. As much as he wants to stay and help Loki, he’s never seen dad like this. He’s yelled before but this is much scarier. 

  “But -”

  “Now!” He finally tears his eyes away from Loki to glare at Peter. A shiver runs down his spine, making him take a step back. Instantly, Tony’s glare weakens apologetically. Peter doesn’t dare wait for even a second longer. Loki watches him as he creeps out of the room and goes back to his own bedroom, locking the door behind him. 

  Quietly he slips under the covers, hiding himself away in the darkness and waiting for the day to finally be over. 

 

~~~

 

  “What are you doing here?” Tony growls. 

  “I was just visiting. Clint spoke such high praises of your son.” Loki teases him. What else had Clint told him? What happens if Loki tells people about Peter?

  “And you came here to kill him too?”

  “Do you see him hurt?” Loki raises his eyebrows, gesturing to the direction Peter left. 

  Truthfully, he did look fine when Tony sent him away. He looked terrified but more of Tony than of the Norse god trying to take over the world. Peter, his Peter, had been more scared of him than a mass murderer. This time he really had screwed up. All he wanted was to keep Peter safe but look where it had gotten him. He’d become Howard after all this time. After all his efforts.

  “Don’t worry, Stark. I’ll keep your little secret. The comings and goings of a pathetic Midgardian like you don’t worry me.” Loki tries to sound nonchalant but looks stiff and awkward. His eyes keep flickering back to the way Peter left as his hand fiddles with part of his robes. 

  “But ruling us does?”

  “I was born to rule.” His icy cold eyes snap to meet Tony’s.

  “Really? I think you’ll want to reconsider that.”

  “Trying to appeal to my humanity? Really, Stark? Is that the best you can do?” Loki scoffs. 

  “Actually, I’m threatening you.” Tony clenches his jaw. He just needs to distract this guy for as long as he can. Find a way to draw him away from the tower and Peter.

  “And this is supposed to be threatening? You have no suit, no friends and have already shown your greatest weakness.” Loki nods towards Peter’s room. 

  “I’ve met hundreds of guys like you. Guys who think they can rule the world from their high horse but all of them eventually fall.” He casually strolls over to the bar at the other side of the room.

  His eyes catch sight of the bracelets behind the counter. They’re a brand new design - never before tested. If all goes to plan, they’ll attract the suit to him, allowing him to suit up in record time with a flick of his wrist. _If_ it goes to plan, that is. When better to try out a brand new design than in the midst of a battle?

  “You wanna drink?” He nods towards the decanter, reaching forward and sliding the bracelets on behind the cover of the counter. 

  “Stalling me won’t change anything.”

  “Stalling? No, this is me threatening you.” He corrects him and pours out a small glass of whiskey. 

  “Someone as tiny and insignificant as you poses no threat - especially without your odd Midgardian magic.”

  “And that’s why you’re never going to win. If you ever want to even think about ruling earth, the first thing you have to learn is the importance of ‘insignificant’ human lives. Until you learn that we’ll keep growing and adapting and evolving, stopping you and all your friends up there in space until the end of time.” Tony casually walks over to Loki, gripping the glass tightly. He stops far enough away to stop Tony’s anxiety from kicking in, giving him space and time to act. 

  “The might of the Chitauri army will crush all of you before you have the chance to do any of those things. There’s no one here to stop me.” 

  “There’s the Avengers - Earth’s mightiest heroes.”

  “And yet I see no sign of them.” Loki gestures at the empty sky before them. There’s no one else but Tony. 

  “Sure, it took us time to get any traction but you know what? They’re on their way here right now to grind you to dust. Let’s do a headcount: your brother, the demigod; a supersoldier, living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breathtaking anger management issues; a couple of super assassins, and you, big fella, have pissed off every single one of them.” Tony snarls. At the mention of his brother, Loki looks away, fiddling with the scepter. 

  “That was the plan.” Loki grins snarkily.

  Something doesn’t quite add up. Why would that be his plan? Why goad them like this? Why do any of this? Steve was right, he could’ve beaten them easily back in Stuttgart or made a run for it when Thor arrived. What was the point of getting taken to the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier? What did he gain except pissing off the Avengers even more? He might want to tear the Avengers apart but they’d already been torn apart since the beginning. Instead, his plan had brought them together and looking at Loki now, it feels like he knew what would happen.

  “Not a great plan.”

  “Your team is barely even functional! You don’t even trust them with the knowledge of a single child. The second hell rains down your fragile teamwork will shatter. Lie’s tear people apart.” The bitterness in his voice is fresh. First hand. What had Thor not told them? 

  “You know, I could’ve sworn you were the god of lies.” He thinks back to all his research. Loki is the god of mischief and lies. The darker brother. Irredeemable. How much of the stories are true? From his personal experiences, he’s learned that a good story is rarely true.  

  “God.” He snorts, “Who would know better than me then?”

  “We are stronger than we were before.”

  “I have an army.” 

  “We have a Hulk.”

  “I thought the beast had wandered off.” Loki looks out at the horizon.

  “You’re missing the point. There’s no throne, no version of this where you come out on top. You’ve underestimated humans. When we have something we care about we will fight for it up until our very last breaths. So maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t defend the world, you can be damned well sure we’ll avenge it.” 

  “How will your friends have time for me when they’re so busy fighting you.” Loki slowly saunters towards Tony. The scepter is raised up to the height of Tony’s chest - aimed right for the arc reactor.

  Despite the menacing figure Loki casts, Tony stays where he is, not backing down. He has a feeling about what is just about to happen but refuses to back down. No matter what Loki tries he can never take Tony’s mind. So many people have tried over and over to steal him mind, to control him, but none have succeeded and none ever will. It’s his last stronghold. All he has left. What he is without the layers of armor and sarcasm protecting him. 

  The tip of the scepter comes into contact with the arc reactor, clinking softly as it makes contact. Despite all the build-up, nothing happens at all. There’s no force pressing up against his mind like earlier in the helicarrier. No pain, no nothing. 

  Loki frowns, staring down at the scepter nervously. He pulls the scepter back and tries again, his movements more rushed and chaotic but nothing happens again.

  “It should work…” Loki stammers, trying and failing again.

  “Well, performance issues. You know?”

  Loki completely gives up on the scepter, reaching up to grab Tony by the neck. He holds him up, letting his legs dangle pathetically underneath him. Tony scrambles aimlessly, trying to reclaim control and get onto solid ground but Loki is in control now.

  Before Tony can try anything else, Loki launches him across the room so his body slams into the glass wall across the room. As soon as Tony’s body smashes into it, glass rains down. Instead of falling harmlessly onto the penthouse floor, he’s dropped right out of the window of the tower. One of the top windows.

  As he falls to the ground and buildings get closer and closer. Wind billows all around him, drowning out everything like when you stick your head out of the window on the highway. Panic rises up inside him, constricting his throat. 

  The view of the city from above has always been one of his favourites. IT’s why the suit is so freeing. Why flying in it is one of his favourite activities. But now all those things he once loved are being twisted. Being used to slowly tear him apart.

  This isn’t how he’s going to go. Not like this. 

  Instead, he throws his arms out to expose the bracelets on his wrists. There’s a distant beeping behind him as the red pod appears through the window, shooting toward him. They propel themselves downwards and attach themselves onto the honing bracelets with a short sharp clink. Suddenly the familiar, safe suit wraps around him like a cocoon. The suit appears around him as he angles the repulsors downwards to keep him from smashing into the ground. 

  Well, at least now they know the honing bracelets work, although it wasn’t the practice test he’d been imagining. His version contained a lot less...near deathness…. 

  Just seconds before he hits the ground the repulsors properly kick in and slow him all the way down. Despite the close call, he doesn’t have any time to recover. Loki is still up there alone with Peter and he’s already shown he’s more than willing to chuck people out of windows when he’s annoyed.

  Every bone in his body aches - even more than they had earlier after he’d had his arse kicked by the propellers of the helicarrier. After this is over he’s going to need a couple of days to recuperate from all the bruising he’s sustained. His arse has been handed to him so many times in the last day…he’s going to ache so much in the morning. 

  Not wasting any time, he flies up the tower again to face Loki.

  “And there’s one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil.” Coulson’s face flashes before him.

  It’s not fair that this guy is still here and standing while Coulson is gone. Audrey will be waiting for him somewhere out there and will never get to see him again. Will someone even go to tell her? Surely Barton and Nat will go at least. They might as well have been his family. 

  Just as Loki raises his scepter again, Tony fires at Loki. The blast knocks him right off of his feet and sends him crashing into the floor in a heap. 

  Above the tower, a huge pale blue beam sparks to life - shooting up into the sky and causing some strange kind of rippling effect in the sky. All at once, a huge black hole rips through the sky right where the pale blue beam hit. A huge blur of black shapes come pouring out from the black void, heading down towards the city. Right now they’re all mostly contained around the beam but are quickly spreading out to start causing mayhem and death.

  “Right. Army.” He mutters. 

  As much as he wants to go and check on Peter, now isn’t the time. He’ll be in more danger if Tony doesn’t deal with this army. For now, he’s just going to have to trust J.A.R.V.I.S to keep Peter protected from Loki. 

  As he flies upwards towards the gaping void hovering above the tower, he starts shooting his missiles into the swarm but he’s hardly even denting their numbers. For each one he kills, ten more come pouring out of the void. 

  It's going to be a long day…

 

~~~

 

  There’s a loud crash audible from Peter’s room. It sounds like glass breaking or something similar. To satisfy his own curiosity, he creeps over to the windows and peers through, looking for the source of the crash. A few floors below he can see Dad, falling through the air without the suit on, surrounded by a torrent of broken glass. 

  As he watches two red pods soar out of the window along from his, racing downwards to catch Dad. As they reach him, they click onto his wrists and wrap around him. He must be wearing the bracelets that he'd been working on a couple of days ago, although Peter has no idea when put them on or even tested them.

  He's still staring at Dad as some kind of light, not unlike the light from Dad's chest, shoots up into the sky. He's torn between making sure Dad is alright and staring open-jawed up at the light above the tower. 

  Suddenly the light seems to change, morphing into a stronger beam that shoots directly upwards into the clouds. All at once the sky tears apart, cutting a huge black circle in the middle of the blue sky. Clouds vanish into the seemingly endless black hole in the sky. 

  If the hole itself wasn't scary enough, black…things start pouring out and filling the sky. It's like a swarm of insects blocking out the sky. 

  Far below, people scream as they stare up at the sky. He can even make out some people running away from the tower as cars and buses screech to a halt. 

  "J.A.R.V.I.S? What's happening?" His voice trembles feebly. 

  "What we feared would happen. It seems Loki's plan has come to fruition…"

  "Loki's plan?" The Loki he met wouldn't do this. He was nice - a bit odd, but nice. Whatever these are, they’re monsters. 

  "You don't need to worry, I'm going to keep you safe until your father deals with the threat," J.A.R.V.I.S says with complete confidence and clarity. It's the kind of strange clarity he's never really heard in the AI before. Rock-solid purpose and direction. 

  The screams keep getting louder and louder and come from even further away. From up high he can't properly see but that doesn't stop his mind from imagining. His mind sees images of people's broken bodies lying across the ground. Blood smeared across their skin as they lie motionless and broken. Just like how Dad looked after his fight with Stane. Him and Mom had both thought he was dead but he wasn’t. Are those people really dead? 

  Is Happy down their somewhere? Aunt May and Uncle Ben? Are Ned and his family? What about his teacher? Or the girl who sits opposite him in class and always puts gum in his hair? Is the lady who once gave him extra marshmallows and sprinkles on his coco lying on the street? 

  "Show me what's happening down there," Peter says, firmly. 

  "You shouldn't see things like that. I believe it would be harmful to your mental health to see such scenes."

  "Please, I need to see what's happening. I can't stop my head from seeing it all, please!" He begs, a tear rolling down his cheek. 

  "Young master…"

  "Please?" He whimpers. 

  Cautiously, J.A.R.V.I.S brings security footage of the ground below up and projects it onto the window in front of him.

  A lone Teddy bear with a floppy ear and a missing eye is being trampled into the concrete, it's left side drenched in blood. People are scrambling with huge pieces of debris as they attempt to pull people from the rubble. Moms and Dad's hold their children close to their chests as they try to dodge swerving cars. 

  Peter has to close his eyes and look away, blinking silent tears from his eyes. Instantly, JARVIS shuts off the videos, allowing the room to fill with silence.

  "What…what...about them?" Peter stammers through his tears. 

  "What do you mean?" 

  "You s-said you'd pr-pr-protect me but what about them…" Peter sniffles. Those kids are like him. If he was a different kid that could be his mom or his dad getting hurt down there. 

  "The Avengers and your father are out there right now doing everything they can to help those people,” J.A.R.V.I.S says reassuringly but Peter doesn’t feel very reassured. Those people are still hurting. Most of those people J.A.R.V.I.S showed him will probably die in the next hour…

  Sensing Peter’s panic, J.A.R.V.I.S pulls up current footage of everyone fighting together in front of Grand Central station. Everyone, even Uncle Clint is there, working side by side to take down the monsters hurting people.

  “No, they’re not. They’re doing their best to stop the monsters but the people aren’t being protected. No one is helping them. There aren’t enough people out there.”

  “They’re doing everything they can but they can’t be everywhere at once. They’ve helped a few people but it’s hard to stop the monsters and help the people.” J.A.R.V.I.S tries to explain somberly.

  “Can’t you do anything? You’re J.A.R.V.I.S, you’ve always taken care of me and dad, can’t you help them now? I don’t need protecting but they do.” His mind flickers back to the bloody teddy. Where’s that child now? That child doesn’t have a J.A.R.V.I.S protecting him.

  “I’m afraid not.” 

  “We have to do _something_ . Help _someone_. Anyone!” He begs. The warm tears are stinging his eyes as he tries to blink them away faster. His vision swims, tears sticking to his glasses and obscuring his vision even more. 

  “I don’t...I don’t know. I don’t know what to do…” J.A.R.V.I.S stammers. He’s never sounded like this before - torn apart. It’s a stark contrast to how he was a little while ago. There’s no confidence at all. For once he’s just as lost as Peter.

   “We could go out there with plasters and cookies. We could help people get into the tower and stay safe.” Peter’s mind races as he tries to think of some way he can be of use.

  “I don’t think that’ll help people…” 

  “We could at least try.” Peter clenches his jaw, finding some kind of clarity. He’s not a superhero, far from it, but he can do this one thing. Maybe that way he can be helpful to everyone instead of just hiding like he used to when he was a baby. 

  Regardless of what J.A.R.V.I.S says, he stands up and marches over to the door. His finger rests against the pad, trying to unlock the door but nothing happens. The door doesn’t unlock. No matter how much he tugs on the handle, it stays sealed shut. 

  “J.A.R.V.I.S…?” Peter whispers.

  “I’m sorry, I truly am, but I cannot allow that.”

  “J.A.R.V.I.S?” 

  “You must stay here until the fighting is over. I need to protect you. My primary protocol is to protect you - as long as Baby Gate protocol is active I will do my very best to protect you in every way I can.”

  “You’re locking me in here but you won’t help everyone else? I thought you were my friend? I thought you wanted to help people.”

  “I do want to help but there’s nothing we can do. All I am able to do is protect you, so that is what I will do.”

  “But what about them.”  
  “I’m sorry but plaster and cookies won’t help. You’ll just be in more danger. I don’t know what I would do if you got hurt. I’m responsible for taking care of you but more importantly, you’re my family. I will not allow you to get hurt. You’ve all already gotten too hurt on my watch.” Strong emotions run through J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice.

  Peter slowly lets go of the doorknob and turns around. His back slams into the door, cold wood pressing against his back. Although he tries hard to keep himself propped up his legs become weak and feeble underneath him. As they collapse, he slides down the door until his butt hits the floor. His head leans forward so it rests on his knees. He tugs his jumper around him, trying to cover his face as he cries into his knees. 

  None of it is fair. None of it. Loki isn’t a bad person, he knows it, but all these people are hurting. Everyone is hurting and Peter is sitting in his bedroom crying. He might only be six but there must be something he can do.

  He sits there completely unmoving for what feels like a lifetime. Eventually, he runs out of tears and just sits there. J.A.R.V.I.S is still there beside him, even if he doesn’t speak. Right there like he always is. As upset as he is, he could never be annoyed with J.A.R.V.I.S, he’s family.

  “How are you okay?” Peter sniffles without moving his head from his knees.

  “I’m not okay, I want to help but I can’t so I do what I can. I guide your father and keep him safe so he can help all of them.”

  “He’s family too and he’s out there getting hurt.”

  “I know. It’s what he signed up for.”

  “I thought being a superhero meant always saving everyone.”

  “It’s not always like that Peter. Things happen and people can’t be saved.”

  “What about Dad? Can Dad be saved.”

  “Your father doesn’t need saving.”

  “He always needs saving.” Even if he doesn’t always need his life saving, he always needs people to save him. To save him from himself, as Mom says

  “We need to trust him to take care of himself.”

  “But if there’s something we could do then we should do it,” Peter explains quietly. 

  After a few seconds of complete silence, there’s a suddenly clicking noise behind him. Instantly he sits up straight and peers up at the lock above his head. The once red locked symbol has been replaced with a green, unlocked padlock. 

  “J.A.R.V.I.S?” He asks, completely taken aback.

  “Please don’t put yourself in danger. You have many people who care about you.” J.A.R.V.I.S says reluctantly. 

  “Thank you.” He wipes his eyes with the edge of his jumper, “I’ll stay safe.” He swears, meaning every word of it. He doesn’t want to get hurt, even if it allows him to help people.

  He quickly gets up and opens the door, not wanting to give J.A.R.V.I.S the chance to change his mind.

  Without thinking about where he’s going he starts running down the corridor. There are other voices coming from the rooms - unfamiliar voices. In fact, the only voice he recognises is Loki’s but he can’t actually hear what’s being said. Despite being curious, he walks straight past the scene. It sounds like a fight of some kind - not something he can help with. Besides, no one’s supposed to know about him and going out into a room full of people in the middle of the Stark Tower Penthouse is going to clue people in quickly. 

  Instead, he walks past and heads over to the elevator. Unlike his original plan, he presses the button for the roof instead of for the ground floor. The strange light beam is coming from the roof and the light is what opened the void and let out all the monsters. If he wants to help then he should turn the light off and close the void. 

  “Okay…” He mumbles, tapping his toes on the floor of the elevator as it rises. Even though it’s only a few floors, it feels like so much longer inside the elevator.

  When it finally opens, he’s overwhelmed by the sheer size of the beam. It’s huge and reaches all the way up to the sky. From his limited view, he can just about make out some strange kind of machine at the base of the beam, surrounded by a huge magical forcefield. 

  There are more people up on the roof but he can’t make out who from this angle. Quietly, he creeps over to a piece of wall which he can use to hide behind and peeks over at the others.  From closer up, it becomes clear that the woman is none other than Auntie Nat - although he still can’t tell who the man is. Clearly not anyone he’s seen before but Natasha isn't fighting him so he must be one of the good guys.

  “Auntie Nat?” He asks, cautiously as he creeps out from behind the wall. 

  “Peter?” She whips around, frowning and holding Loki’s huge funny stick, “What are you doing here? Are you here alone?” She looks around in search of Dad but finds no one.  

  “I wanted to help.”

  “Does your dad know you’re here?” She looks around as if Dad is going to be right there with me. 

  “He locked me in my room.” J.A.R.V.I.S might have actually locked him in but on Dad’s orders. 

  “It’s not safe for you out here.”

  “It’s not safe for you out here either.” He tries to sound confident and brave but he never has been good and tricking Auntie Nat.

  “Okay, well come over here - I’ll try my best to keep you safe as I close this but then you need to go back to your room, okay?” She strikes him a deal. Of course, he’d like to help more but J.A.R.V.I.S was right, other than this there’s not much he can do.

  “Okay, I promise.” He swears and gives her a firm nod. 

  “I just need to call the others.” She raises her hand to her ear and pushes on her earpiece. “I can close it! Can anybody hear me? I can shut the portal down.” She sticks the scepter into the force field, pushing it as far as she possibly can. It’s almost touching the strange machine but not quite.

  “Do it!” A voice yells through the earpiece. 

  “No, wait!” Dad’s voice comes through over the other one. He sounds...strange over the earpiece. Not like he usually does. 

  “Stark, these things are still coming!” The voice from before yells back, straining with fighting noises in the background.

  “I got a nuke coming in and it’s going to blow in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it.” A nuke? What’s a nuke? What’s going on?

  “Stark, that’s a one-way trip.” One way trip….?

  But Dad doesn’t respond. The earpiece stays silent. 

  “What does he mean. What’s a one-way trip?” Peter’s heart starts racing furiously.

  One way...he’s not coming back? What is he doing with the nuke? Why isn’t he coming back? There’s a whole team of heroes now, can’t one of them take the nuke?

  “Peter…” Auntie Nat mumbles, holding a phone out towards Peter with one hand as the other keeps the stick inside the force field, “It’s for you.”

  With a shaky hand, he takes the phone and holds it up to his ear. He already knows who’s going to be on the other side. There’s only one person it would ever be.

  “Dad?” He asks quietly, he’s not even sure if Dad can hear him.

  “Hey, Sparky. Two calls in one day, huh.”

  “What’s happening?” Peter bites his lip and clutches the phone as tight as he can.

  “Um...well...you see that big portal over there? I gotta take something through it.” Dad’s voice sounds strained like he’s in pain or hurt. There are a few hitches here and there instead of his usual, stead and calm voice.

  “Take it through? But Auntie Nat’s closing the portal now…”

  Even from here he can see Dad. He’s only a few meters away, flying right up alongside the huge beam of light, in his arms is a huge metal thing that looks a little bit like a rocket. Is that the nuke then?

  “If everything goes right I’ll be able to get back in time so you don’t need to worry.” He mumbles and pauses for a second, letting the silence build. Slowly he gets closer and closer to the void and falls just out of vision as he disappears inside the darkness, “I just wanted to tell you that I love you. Always and -” But the phone suddenly falls silent.

  “Dad?” His heart slowly collapses in on itself, being crushed under the panic, “Dad?! What’s going on.” He can’t hear or see him anymore, it’s like he was never even there.

  “Peter…” Auntie Nat mutters sadly. She tries to let go of the stick to comfort Peter but the force is too strong and she’s forced to put her hand back on, “Come on, Stark. Don’t keep Peter waiting…” She hisses, biting her lip. 

  “He’s going to come back, right?” Peter sniffles. Even though the phone call is over, he holds the phone close to his chest.

  Auntie Nat stares at him, completely silent. Why won’t she say anything!

  “Close it.” The voice from before speaks through the earpiece once again.

  “But Stark…” She attempts to reason but is very quickly interrupted.

  “We have no other choice.” The voice implores sadly. As soon as it has spoken, Auntie Nat begins pushing the stick in further, straining as hard as she can.

  “What are you doing! He’s still in there!” Peter yells and tries to pull on her arm but she pushes him away gently.

  “I’m sorry Peter but if we don’t close it everyone here could die.” Everyone? Mom? Happy? His aunt’s and uncles? Ned? 

  “But...but...you promised me. You promised me you’d protect him! Didn’t you?”

  “I know but we have no other choice. We can’t let more people die. Your dad knew what he was doing. He chose to.”

  “But you promised me.” His eyes try to cry but there is nothing left. Just emptiness. Nothingness.

  “I know. I know. But he would want me to keep you safe.” A lone tear runs down her cheek.

  “He’s the most important person. I don’t want him to go! I don’t want to live without him!

  “Peter…” She mumbles.

  “Why does everyone want me to live without him! Everyone always wants to take him. Haven’t I been good?”

  “We don’t get to choose these things, Peter.”

  “He’s the only Dad I have.” Peter sobs weakly. His hand lets go of her arm. He can’t even fight for his Dad. If that was him, Dad would be fighting tooth and nail to save him but Peter’s doing nothing. His legs can’t even support him as he collapses onto the gravel.

  Auntie Nat opens and closes her mouth a few times but finds no words. Nothing at all. She tears her eyes away from him and just keeps pushing harder. As she finally closes off the beam he stares up into the sky, searching for the familiar gold and red but coming up empty.

 

~~~

 

  “I just wanted to tell you I love you. Always and forever.” He tries to force himself to smile but tears fall instead. There’s a crackle as the phone call terminates, along with all the other systems.

  He’s alone.

  Completely alone.

  “Peter…?” He mutters hopefully but there’s no response. No answer.

  Of course, Fury had to call him. A team full of superheroes he trusts and when it comes down to it, he calls Tony.

  At least Peter is safe now. The nuke won’t kill him. Won’t kill the one good thing he made. He’ll live on happily, even if Tony can’t. In the end, that’s what matters - that Peter survives.  

  Around him, space holds its breath. The great darkness pushes down on him. The great nothingness. Absolutely everything is silent with the exception of his own, quickening breathing.

  It’s a strange thing, nothing. Impossible to explain. It’s just the vast shell that’s left behind. The absence of everything. All that is left behind is the cold that bites all the way through his suit and cuts through his soul. 

  It’s strange, although there’s nothing there’s also everything. Everywhere he looks, stars glisten with promise of life. A million, billion stars out there waiting. Planets orbiting them, silently. Starlight shines across his face.

He’s the only human who’s seen this. Seen this view. Benen touched by this light. It should feel amazing but it feels terrifying. Overwhelming. 

  Right in front of him stands the biggest ship he’s ever seen. Millions upon millions of aliens, waiting in their ships to strike. Chiaturi. Never before has he seen something that big and imposing. They could completely crush earth with a stomp of their foot. An alien race that could crush all of them. 

  Looking at all those stars, how many more of those stars have planets with races like this? Races like the Asgardians? Races that could completely annihilate humans with a push of a button or the snap of a finger. 

  At that moment he suddenly understands Loki’s comment about the insignificance of it all. A human life against all of this. What would one humans do against all of that? What could a man in a can do against a race like this?

  The suit goes completely dark, all systems vanishing from sight. Without J.A.R.V.I.S there, the suit shuts off completely. His arms release, letting go of the nuke as it drifts slowly off towards the alien ship.

  As his air slowly cuts off he feels a moment of...peace. Complete silence and serenity were the opposite of how he imagined going. He’d always pictured more alcohol being involved and when he’d taken on the Iron Man persona the image had always been of an epic battle or showdown. Going out with a bang. Not this nothingness.

  Then suddenly, the nuke lands, burying itself within the ship ahead. A huge fireball expands from the center of the ship like a supernova. It engulfs everything, completely annihilating the Chitauri.

  Peter would love to see this. 

  Space.

  The variety of reds, oranges and whites as everything is consumed. 

  If this is going to be his last sight - then he’s...glad. 

  Then his eyes drift quietly shut and he lets himself fall into oblivion.

  
  
  


  But of course, nothing ever stays quiet.

  His eyes suddenly open as a huge, thundering roar tears through the air. His lungs gasp for breath, drinking in as much oxygen as humanly possible. It’s cold and fresh and painful, but amazing. God, has oxygen always been this great?

  The faceplate has been torn off completely, leaving his eyes completely unprotected. Sun burns them, bright compared to the darkness of space.

  He’s not dead?

  He’s not dead.

 

  He’s alive

  


  Everything goes way too quickly. There must still be adrenaline running through him because somehow he manages to force himself to stand up and start walking again. 

  All he wants to do is go and find Peter but he can’t, not yet. For now, Peter should stay a secret - the memories of their earlier arguments still fresh in his mind. After what happened with Clint, it’s clear that he can’t go around letting anyone know about him. However, that, unfortunately, means he needs to deal with Loki before he gets a chance to see Peter again. 

  His mind is focused on Peter the entire time that they are locking Loki up in chains. As they muzzle him, Tony can’t help but notice his once ice blue eyes have become vibrant green. As much as he hates to admit it, he actually kinda likes the guy - it’s hard not to like the person that stands there doing spot-on Captain America impersonations while he’s being dragged off to prison for eternity (quite literally considering his more alien nature). 

  However he doesn’t let himself relax until they’ve all gone their separate ways, Steve back to his apartment, Thor and Loki off to Asgard and Nat and Clint going off...god knows where. Wherever it is that they hole up between missions. He has a feeling that at least one of them has a house of their own but he doesn’t know for sure. 

  “You doing okay?” Bruce asks, leaning over in the car to look at Tony who is sat in front of the tower in the car. 

  “I’m fine.” 

  “Are you sure, you still haven’t gotten out of the car…” Bruce’s eyes are narrowed as he looks between the floor and Tony.

  “I’m sure.”

  “You’ve been through a lot.”

  “I swear - I’m fine.” Tony insists. Why is everyone always so quick to assume something is wrong? He might be sore and achy but he’s alive so he’s fine, “I actually have someone I want you to meet.” He announces, trying to change the subject.

  He might want to keep Peter’s existence but Bruce is an exception. Of all the people on the team, he’s one of the most trustworthy ones. After all, Bruce was the one who saved him from falling apparently. Besides, it would be hard for Bruce to move in with him without meeting Peter at some point.

  “Someone…?” Bruce frowns but Tony is already getting out of the car.

  “You coming?” Tony calls Bruce out of the car this time, grabbing his bag from the back seat for him. 

  “Um...yeah.” He flushes, looking down at the ground and fiddling with his shirt sleeve. 

  He stays like that for the whole way up the elevator. He stands stiff as a board beside Tony who’s constantly twitching. If Bruce notices Tony’s fidgeting then he doesn’t say anything. 

  Tony practically runs out of the elevator as soon as it dings. It’s been way too long since he last spoke to Peter. They should’ve been able to speak hours ago when he first woke up from his fall but that’s never how things work out. 

  “Tony, what’s going on?” Bruce trails behind him, drinking in all the sights.

  Technically the last time he saw this place he was the Hulk so all this is brand new for him. No wonder he’s ignoring everything but his surroundings. 

  “You’ll see,” Tony smirks as he pushes open Peter’s bedroom door. Before he can even start to introduce Peter, he’s being attacked in a huge hug. 

  “I love you too.” Peter shouts as he holds Tony close, “I thought you’d died when you didn’t come out of the portal.”

  “Well, thankfully I had this guy here to save me.” Tony gestures to a dumbfounded Bruce, “Bruce here managed to catch me before I fell.” Tony smiles as Peter finally lets go of him.

  “Woah! Bruce Banner!” Peter stares wide-eyed at Bruce, who’s jaw might as well be hanging open.

  “Bruce Banner, meet Peter Parker - my son.”


	11. Terror (I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has to deal with his own anxiety while also trying to deal with a national terror threat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me - I know I've been really bad. I actually was on schedule but I really screwed up and forgot to back up this chapter and so when my computer broke I lost everything. I tried rewriting this chapter but I had to keep deleting what I wrote because I just really hated everything I was writing (which was sad because I was looking forward to this chapter). I ended up putting off writing this chapter for months and have been working on a personal project instead. I'm so so sorry - I know how annoying it is to have a long hiatus. Since I'm now at Uni I'm going to stop trying to set myself deadlines because I know I'll never meet them and I'll feel so bad every time I don't meet them. I'll do my best to make sure the hiatus' are never this long though.

**All the demons creeping in, no**   
**Another round changing shots with my ego**   
**Runnin' can't tell me now**   
**Your chains only drive me down**   
**I've battled hard with the face in the mirror**   
**Every scar makes me dig down deeper**   
**I push it 'til there's nothing more**

**\- The Fear, The Score**

 

~~~

 

  It’s funny, he’d never really considered mental health before. Not his at least. Not when he was younger, not at MIT, not after his parent’s funeral, not after Mary’s funeral and not even after Afghanistan. He’d kind of just assumed he’d always be okay. Always come out on top. As long as he was alive and had all his limbs, he was okay.

  Thinking back, the nightmares were probably the first sign that something was wrong. Nightmares aren’t a first - he’s had them as long as he can remember - but never quite like this. Every single night is the same exact nightmare. The same black endless void. Millions of alien ships looming ahead of him, unstoppable and hellbent on taking away the little life he’d carved for himself here.

  The nights when Peter is away with Ned or staying in the old Malibu house are the worst. Most of the time he ditches work at the tower just so he can stay with Peter. The empty bed in his room only confirms his nightmares. 

  Long nights - or maybe days - had been common years ago but not since Peter. Now it’s common to keep running for about 70 hours without risking a trip to bed. Even Peter could sense something was wrong. He sits in the lab with Tony, nattering away to keep Tony distracted. 

  "Ned got a new lego set! It's a huge one this time! It's an Avengers tower, just like here and we made it all by ourselves!" He rambles on, sitting on the countertop right beside Tony. His legs swing back and forth absentmindedly, "Have you ever made lego?" 

  "No. Didn't really have time for stuff like that as a kid." As much free time as he had, most of that was spent away from home or on his projects. There wasn't time for toys or anything like that. At least not in Howard's eyes. 

  "Really? You'd love it! We should make some together." He claps his hands enthusiastically. “It’s just like what we do here. Like all of your suits.”

  "You sure you wouldn't rather do it with Ned or Shuri?"

  "Nope! I wanna do it with you." Peter beams.

  Carefully, Tony injects the first micro-repeater implant into his arm. Blood blossoms as a small drop on the skin where the injection has gone in. 

  "Sir, I apologise for interrupting but please may I request just a few hours to calibrate…" J.A.R.V.I.S asks anxiously. 

  "Is it safe?" Peter's head snaps up to look at Tony, biting the inside of his cheek. 

  "It's fine. J.A.R.V.I.S is just being a baby. We don't need time to calibrate." They almost certainly do need time to calibrate but when has that ever stopped him.

  There are around 48 implants now in his body. Each one has to be injected into the site and maintained which can be quite cumbersome but it’s the best he can do. It's not quite perfect yet but it's definitely more efficient than before. 

  "Ah!" He shouts out at the sharp sting. More blood blossoms this time, making a dark red smudge on his arm.

  "Are you okay?!" Peter gasps, staring at the bloody marks on Tony's arms. 

  "I'm fine - don't worry about me. I'm just a drama queen like Mom says." Tony ruffles Peter's hair as reassuringly as he can - which isn’t very. 

  "Are you sure?" 

  "Yeah, it's all fine. Besides I've finished now so we don't need to worry about it anymore." Tony smiles softly, "I think it's time to test them out, don't you?" 

  "Yeah! Are we going to invite Bruce to see?" Peter claps excitedly and hops off of the worktop to stand next to Tony. 

  "He's probably busy, besides we should show him when we know it works. This can be our special secret first trial." He winks. 

  "As you wish, sir. I've also prepared a safety briefing for you to entirely ignore." J.A.R.V.I.S says snarkily. 

  "Which I will. Right, let's do this." He shakes himself off and moves away from Peter to get some space.

  DUM-E is wandering around the lab with his broom on hand. Despite the instructions Tony has given him, he's no where near the mats and is instead getting in the way of Tony. The little dunce hat is still perched on his head perfectly as he sweeps pathetically. 

  The other two bots are sticking by Peter doing no work as usual. It seems the boys are either getting in the way as they work or doing nothing at all. 

  "DUM-E? Hi, DUM-E." Tony waves to him, trying to get his attention, "How did you get that cap on your head? You earned it." He gets completely sidetracked from the trial, instead marching over to DUM-E, "Hey. Hey! What are you doing round in the corner? You know what you did. Blood on my mat, handle it." 

  "Poor DUM-E. He's doing his best." Peter sticks out his bottom lip and scowls at Tony, "You should leave him alone." 

  "He's being naughty." Tony feigns grouchiness. He goes overdramatic as he scolds his oldest creation. 

  "They're always naughty." Peter giggles and beckons DUM-E over to him. Of course, DUM-E doesn't waste a second racing over to Peter and abandoning his broom. 

  "And that's supposed to make it better?" 

  "He's family."

  "Fine...I'll let it go this once but you better keep all of them on their best behavior."

  "I will," Peter says seriously. He stands up straighter, trying and failing to make himself look older. But within a few seconds he’s already distracted and moving onto the next thing, "Can I hold the camera?" 

  "Sure - you'll probably do a better job than Butterfingers." Tony nods towards the camera that's lying on the counter. Without any hesitation, Peter skips over to it with the line of bots trailing after him. 

  "Focus up, ladies." He claps his hands trying to get all of their attention once again, "Good evening, and welcome to the birthing suite. I'm pleased to announce the imminent arrival of your bouncing, bad-ass, baby brother." He takes a deep breath in and addresses the camera, "Mark 42 autonomous prehensile propulsion suit test. Initialize sequence." He raises his arms as if he's surrendering, looking down at the ground. 

  "J.A.R.V.I.S, drop my needle." 

  Instantly music starts blasting out of the speakers. Unable to contain himself, he starts moving along with the music, putting everything into the dance. Peter giggles loudly, shaking the camera. 

  "What are you doing?" He manages to say through his giggles. 

  "Dancing. What does it look like I'm doing?" He smirks and dances even more dramatically. 

  "You look silly." 

  "You think you can do better? Come over here and show me how it's done then." Tony keeps on dancing as he sets out the challenge.

  Tony's half-expecting Peter to decline but instead, he hands the camera over to Butterfingers and comes over to join Tony on the slightly raised podium. 

  Tony can't hold back a laugh as Peter gets up and starts dancing around like an idiot right beside Tony. His dance moves might not be winning anyone over but he still looks adorable. 

  In the middle of his dance, Tony holds out his arm towards the pile of suit parts waiting on the table. He holds it there for a few seconds but it's completely unresponsive. 

  "Is it not working?" Peter stops dancing to watch. 

  "Hmm…let me try again."

  He hits the part of his arm where the micro repeaters are before trying again. He's not actually expecting anything to happen so is caught off guard when the arm piece comes flying towards him and unfolds to wrap around the entirety of his arm and shoulder. The second arm piece comes flying after it and completely covers his other arm. Peter had to duck to avoid being hit in the head with the piece.

  "You okay, Peter?" 

  "Yeah, I'm fine. It actually works!"

  "You bet it does." Tony laughs with disbelief. "Alright, I think we got this. Send 'em all." He says, with a little too much confidence. Peter quickly runs over to the camera to resume his position. He just about makes it before the leg piece flies past and attaches onto Tony. 

  Before Tony can react, the next piece flies over but misses and smashes into one of the glass cases behind him. Then another piece comes hurtling over at top speed. He's only just able to stop it by deflecting it with his arm. Maybe telling J.A.R.V.I.S to speed it up was a mistake… 

  "Probably a little fast, slow it down. Slow it down just a -" but he's interrupted as another piece shoots towards his face. It only narrowly misses and once again smashes through the glass case behind him, "- little bit." 

  "My apologies, sir. The suit doesn't appear to be cooperating…" Peters giggling somewhat drowns out J.A.R.V.I.S. 

  "Is this funny to you, Sparky?" 

  "Yup." 

  "I can't believe my own son would say such a thing." He shakes his head. The momentary distraction is quickly punished as two of the pieces from earlier slam into his back and crotch, knocking him back.

  "Cool it, will you, J.A.R.V.I.S?" He grunts through gritted teeth. Either J.A.R.V.I.S doesn't hear him or he purposely ignores him because they don't slow in the slightest. He's bombarded with little pieces shooting in every direction.

  Bit by bit they build up the suit until all that is left is the faceplate. It hovers ominously across from him almost as if it's hoping to catch Tony off guard. 

  "Come on. I ain't scared of you." He says dramatically for Peter's sake. 

  Cautiously, the faceplate watches him, biding its time. This time he doesn't take his eyes off of it for a second as he waits for it to make its move. Even though he's paying attention, he's still wholly unprepared when it finally chooses to launch itself at him. With Peter watching he flips backwards, just about catching the faceplate in midair and manually adds it to the rest of the suit. Without even meaning to, he lands in the perfect superhero landing facing Peter. 

  "I'm the best." 

  "Woohoo!" Peter cheers loudly and jumps up and down with the camera. The footage is almost certainly going to be shaky and jumpy but nevermind. It's not like it's really needed anyway. 

  But naturally at that moment, one of the stray pieces of the suit decides to make an appearance. It flies over and completely knocks him down. Instantly the suit he'd just managed to get on completely falls apart and breaks back into pieces on the floor. 

  "As always, sir, a great pleasure watching you work." J.A.R.V.I.S says mischievously. 

  "Next time kiddo. Next time."

  "Can't you try again now?" Peter pleads and lowers the camera so it's filming the floor. 

  "Not tonight. I need to work more on the suit and you need to get to bed. After all, it's your party tomorrow."

  "Okay…" Although he says it reluctantly, Tony knows he’s been looking forward to this for weeks. This time Shuri is flying over to celebrate with them which hopefully won't end in too much destruction. 

  Sure enough, by the morning he's completely forgotten about his previous reluctance. Him and Shuri waste no time finding something to do. Unfortunately that something involves running around the tower and jumping on all the furniture to avoid the floor which has apparently turned to lava now. 

  Tony has to drink 3 whole pots of coffee just to make it through the day. How do they have enough energy to run around like that all day?

  Natasha and Rhodey seem to think the same thing, lying on the couch half asleep. Natasha somewhat joining in their little game, keeping her legs propped up on Rhodey’s lap while Bruce has been relegated to sitting on the floor which makes him a perfect stepping stone for the kids. 

  As energetic and nutty as they might be, it's nice for Peter to have an actual kid over on his birthday. He might have his friend Ned now but it's not like they can invite the kid over to the Tower without some questions being asked. 

  For the most part, he acts normally but Tony doesn’t say anything when he doesn’t speak to Natasha all day. Just like he didn’t say anything about the Captain America figure he found in the bin a few weeks ago. For now, he’ll let Peter be, give him his space. But he won’t forget.

  Months go by without Peter acting strangely. The summer ends and fall begins. Halloween comes and goes in a blur of nightmares. Visions of huge portals above him. Of the huge army waiting just beyond it. They’re only getting worse and worse. Chasing him from the day into the night time. It’s only when he has the first panic attack that he realises just how bad it’s gotten.

  A panic attack.

  Iron Man has panic attacks?

  The statement sounds contradictory. What superhero is that affected by a couple of words or a picture? He’s supposed to be able to handle this stuff. Supposed to be stronger. How can he protect other people if he can’t protect himself?

  It’s not like he can tell anyone about it either. Even Rhodey, who was around during the panic attack doesn’t really know. Only J.A.R.V.I.S knows and that’s how he’s going to keep it. He’s worried his family enough. Pepper freaks out about his nightmares, how would she react to panic attacks? Peter worries about him more than a kid should - he doesn’t need anything else on his shoulders. He’s somehow managed to Happy more anxious than usual, something he never thought would happen. 

  Since Pepper took over as CEO, his responsibilities have been getting lower and lower. Nowadays he never goes into the Malibu headquarters so Happy has taken it upon himself to keep Tony constantly updated. He calls about everything from the suspicious guy in the lobby to the attractive men having meetings with Pepper. As the new head of security, he seems to take everything incredibly seriously, especially when it comes to Pepper. He humors his friend, listening to the unfamiliar names like Aldrich Killian and gives his input if only to lessen his friend's anxiety somewhat. 

  In fairness, he hasn’t been giving Pepper the attention she deserves. Even now, he’s sat down in the lab a few minutes before she arrives for date night. He’s still in his lab clothes and isn’t even close to finishing this latest suit. As much as he loves their date nights, these suits are important. The most important things. Tony Stark might be compromised but Iron Man is perfect. He's strong, responsible, stable. Everything Tony isn't. 

  Food from the meal him and Peter had eaten earlier is still lying around the room. Neither of them had finished which isn’t surprising - neither of them ever eat much. 

  They hadn’t been meaning to stay in the lab long enough to eat dinner but things were taking longer than he’d hoped. By this point, he’d normally have gone upstairs to tuck Peter in and get changed but instead, Peter is lying on the couch. That’s probably a sign that they’ve been here too long but he was unable to pull himself away. 

  Quietly, Tony turns around to check up on Peter. He’s still completely fast asleep, tucked up under the same red and blue blanket he had as a baby. ‘Abbit is tucked under one of his arms in a deadly headlock. To be honest, Tony is surprised the thing is still in something that resembles one piece. He always looks small for his age but particularly now. Somehow he manages to look even younger and more innocent in sleep. 

  “Sir, I believe Miss. Potts has almost arrived. Now would be a good time to get ready for date night...” J.A.R.V.I.S clears his throat, snapping Tony out of his thoughts. 

  “Um...how about firing up the Mark 42? I need a little more time here.”

  “Are you sure? She won’t be happy to find out you’re using a decoy suit.”

  “Then let’s make sure she doesn’t find out.” Tony winks and goes over to grab the headset from beside the couch where Peter had been playing with it.

  It’s a new kind of tech he’s been testing out, a remotely operated Iron Man suit. If he can iron out the kinks then it’ll be a real game-changer. The last step in his plan to create a proper, functioning defense force for the earth. A team that won’t crack under pressure.

  “You ready, J?” Tony asks and slips the headset on over his head.

  “Always,” J.A.R.V.I.S says cooly. 

  Instantly the interface on the headset fires up and the suit’s eyes light up. He watches as the suit lifts up its hands one by one. It’s trickier to control than he’d thought but sure enough, everything he envisions is acted out by the suit.

  “We’re online. Time to take this upstairs.” He claps his hands and watches as the newest suit starts marching up the stairs to wait for Pepper’s arrival.

  “Sir, are you really sure? I don’t see this ending well.” J.A.R.V.I.S pleads one last time. 

  “It’s fine. You need to stop worrying so much. I’ve still got stuff to do down here, I’ll swap out when I’ve finished up…” He mumbles, getting quickly sucked back into the calculations.

  “Sir…” J.A.R.V.I.S starts but quickly goes silent. Somehow he manages to sound cold without saying more than a single word.

  “Tony?” Both of them are interrupted as Pepper strolls into the mansion in her work clothes. “I'm sorry I'm late. I was... What the...? What is that?!” She stops still staring at the newest Iron Man suit. Tony watches her out of the corner of his eye through the headset.

  “You're wearing this in the house now? What is that, like Mark 15?” What she doesn't know won't kill her…right? He slyly covers up the small 42 written on the suit.

  She arches her eyebrows and crosses her arms disapprovingly. He’d always thought she would be happier with him being Iron Man, but most of the time it seems like she hates the suits. Hates Iron Man in general. 

  “Uh...yeah. Something like that. You know everybody needs a hobby.” No good would come of telling her the truth. Even he knows 42 suits might be a little excessive. 

  “Oh, and you have to wear your hobby in the living room?” She sits down on her favourite armchair right by the fire and takes off her heels. Even though her words sound like they should be angry, she looks relaxed. It sounds like she’s joking around more than anything else.

  It’s strange, you’d think after being made the CEO of a company you’d become more stressed but the opposite appears to have happened for her.

  “Just breakin' it in. You know, it's always a little pinchy in the gooey bag at first, so.” The suit gets up and walks behind her. He grins on the other side of the headset as she laughs loudly, leaning back in her armchair. 

  “Oh hey, did you see your Christmas present?” The suit gestures outdoors where the custom rabbit is.

  It had been a joint idea between him and Peter. As dumb as it might look, he’d loved the idea so now a giant bunny rabbit toy is sat outside. It’s way taller than any of the rooms in the Malibu mansion but they’ll get it inside somehow. It’s a bit too big to ship out to the tower so they don’t have any other choice. 

  “Yes, I did. I...I don't know how I could have missed that Christmas present. Is it gonna fit through the door?” She chuckles and reaches over to pick up the stack of papers on the coffee table. Carefully, she pages through all the Iron Man drawings he’s been sent today. They’re used to Peter’s drawing being scattered around the house but these are all from other kids. Fans of Iron Man. Even though there are tons sent through to him he tries to keep a hold of all of them. He might not get to display them but they’re all kept safe.

  “Well actually, uh...it's a good question. I got a team of guys coming tomorrow, they're gonna blow out that wall.” The suit gestures to one of the walls leading outside. It’s the only wall that can be removed to allow them to get the rabbit inside the house.

  “Okay.” She sets the pictures back down on the coffee table again. 

  “So, uh...tense? Good day?” He does his best to keep the conversation flowing so she doesn’t notice his absence. The suit comes up behind her and tries to massage her as gently as it can. “Ooh shoulders, a little naughty. Naughty girl. I don't wanna harp on this, but did you like the custom rabbit?”

  “Did I like it?” She doesn’t sound convincing in the slightest. It doesn’t seem like she’s trying to.

  “Nailed it, right?”

  “Wow. I appreciate the thought very much.” She spins the armchair around to face him, “I assume I have someone else to thank for it.”

  “I’ll have you know I dealt with all the details and the money which are widely considered to be the most important things.”

  “Of course.” She smiles up at him lovingly. Slowly she rises from the seat, keeping him close so her face almost touches the suits. “So why don't you lift up that face mask and give me a kiss?” She teases flirtily.

  “Huh.” He knocks loudly on the helmet, “Yup, dammit. No can do. You wanna just kiss it on the…” He tries to work around the situation. 

  “Uh-huh.”

  “The facial slit?”

  “Well, why don't I run down to the garage and see if I can't find a crowbar to shimmy that thing open?” Despite his best attempts, she seems to have seen right through him. He doubts there’s anything more he could say to dissuade her.

  “Crowbar. Yeah.” He mumbles as she turns and starts jogging over to the stairs down to his lab. “Oh, except there's been a...uh...a radiation leak.”

  “I'll take my chances.” She shouts back, already jogging down the stairs.

  “That's risky.” The suit runs after her but it’s way too late. Tony can already see her descending the stairs towards him. 

  “At least let me get you like a Hazmat suit or a Geiger counter or something like that.” He calls after her but she’s staring straight at him through the lab’s glass walls. “Busted.”

  “This is a new level of lame.” She hisses and shakes her head.

  “Sorry.” He offers up pathetically.

  “You ate without me, already? On date night?” She shouts as she stares at the food laid out in the lab. The sudden loud noise makes Peter stir on the couch. The small blanket falls off of him, leaving him completely exposed to the elements. 

  “Shhh, Peter’s asleep.” He whispers with one finger pressed against his lips.

  “What’s Peter doing down here! He should be in bed - it’s nine o’clock.” She whisper-shouts and hurries over to Peter’s side.

  “We just overran. It was getting late and he was hungry so we both ate.”

  “Why do you boys have to spend all your time down here?!” She crosses her arms angrily, her cheeks flaring up red.

  “We were just fixing him -” Tony points to the suit which is still wandering around aimlessly.

  “You mean it?” She interrupts and looks the suit over.

   _It_...the suit doesn’t feel like an ‘it’. After all, it’s Iron Man. Hero of New York. Nowadays it feels like its own being. The real hero. 

  “Well, yeah. I just mean it was just...just hosting you while I finished up a little work.”

  “Uh-huh.” She looks even redder now as she grits her teeth. 

  “And yes, I had a quick bite. I didn't know if you were comin' home or if you were having drinks with Aldrich Killian.” He snaps and brings up what Happy had mentioned earlier.

  The Killian thing doesn’t even bother him, he’d never even asked to know, so he has no clue why he’d brought it up. If there’s anyone he trusts, it’s Pepper. Just because a vaguely attractive man came to her office for drinks and a meeting, doesn’t mean anything is going on. Tony might’ve slept with clients back in the day but Pepper isn’t that kind of CEO. She has professionalism...and standards. 

  “Aldrich Killian? What are you checking up on me?” She leans back slightly and frowns. 

  “Happy was concerned -” He tries to take it back and explain the situation but he’s annoyed her too much this time. 

  “No, you're spying on me.”

  “I wasn't -” He tries again but to no avail.

  “I'm going to bed. You need to bring Peter up to bed right now.” She shakes her head and storms up the stairs. 

  “Hold on. Come on. Pep.” He searches his head for something anything to say. “Hey, I admit it! My fault. Sorry.” He holds his hands up in surrender, stepping closer to the glass lab doors. After a second she stops and slowly turns around to face him again.

  “I'm a piping hot mess. It's been going on for a while, I haven't said anything.” His voice shakes ever so slightly as his heart rate quickens. He’s been avoiding this talk for months now but he can’t let her walk away. Not like this. Thankfully she begins walking down the stairs again, cautiously. “Nothing's been the same since New York.”

  “Oh really? Well, I didn't notice that, at all.” She says snarkily. 

  “You experience things and then they're over and you still can't explain 'em.” He says seriously. No witty remarks, no jokes. “Gods, aliens, other dimensions. I...I'm just a man in a can.” 

  In his mind, he can see that portal again. That vast nothingness. The weight of everything pressing down. On the horizon he imagines the vast army waiting to annihilate everyone. He doesn’t know how to explain that feeling to her. That nothingness. How do you explain that to anyone?

  Every day that goes by he feels a little more insane. There’s a countdown ticking but he can’t see the numbers on it. He has no idea when it’ll finally hit zero. But when it does, hell will rain down and he won’t be able to stop it. But if he doesn’t stop it then Peter could get hurt. Or Pepper. Or both of them. Or everyone. 

  “The only reason I haven't cracked is probably because of you and Peter. I love you, I'm lucky. But, honey, I can't sleep.” His breath catches in his lungs at the admission. He can feel the start of a panic attack building. “You go to bed, I come down here. I do what I know, I tinker.” His legs shake under him and he has to sit down just to stay stable.

  His growing collection of suits are proof of his tinkering. Each one is slightly better than the last, building up to something that might one day be able to take on the things that are waiting out there. He knows that nothing he’ll ever be able to do will stand a chance but he can’t just do nothing. Can’t just sit there and twiddle his thumbs. He’s worked his way out of every other problem by building things, no matter how impossible it seems. 

  “But threat is imminent, and I have to protect the two people that I can't live without.” His eyes flicker over to Peter's unconscious form, “My suits, they're uh…”

  “Machines.” She says sadly.

  “But they're part of me.” Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference anymore. Hard to tell where Iron Man ends and where Tony Stark begins. Somewhere along the line he got too invested. Too attached to the control and stability the suits offered. Now he has no clue how he’s supposed to live without the crutch they offer.

  “A distraction.” She sighs. 

  “Maybe.” The admission stings. He’s known for a while that he’s just distracting himself but to actually say it...

  Silently, Pepper walks over to him and wraps her arms around his neck. Instinctively he leans forward to rest his head on her chest, letting her hold him. Instantly, his heart rate drops and his muscles loosen. He breathes in the smell of her, letting the comforting gesture relax him.

  “I think we all need some rest.” She mumbles quietly. Her words vibrate through her as he rests against her.

  “You’re right.” He whispers tiredly. When did he get so tired? Suddenly his eyelids feel like lead.

  “You need to remember that all of us are here for you Tony. You can talk to us - any of us.” She pulls away to stare at him in the eyes, “You should come upstairs, get some sleep.”

  “Okay.” As horrible as the nightmares are, he really does need to sleep now. It’s been days now and even he can’t go one for any longer. 

  “Come on then, grab Peter.” She steps back giving Tony space to get to Peter. 

  Tony stays as quiet as he can as he bends down to scoop Peter up. Thankfully Peter is a heavy sleeper so he stays asleep as Tony lifts him. His head lols to the side, the edge of his glasses hitting Tony's collarbone. Pepper quickly steps forward and gently takes off his glasses, tucking them into her upper pocket. 

  Together they all go upstairs with J.A.R.V.I.S opening the doors for them as they go. Pepper carefully pulls back the duvet so Tony can set him down under the sheets. He tries to cling to Tony in his sleep but they manage to carefully pry his hand free. 

  "Goodnight Peter." Pepper whispers and presses a soft kiss against his temple. She pulls the duvet up so it's just under his chin and wraps it around him tightly - cocooning him in warm blankets. 

  'Abbit and the blanket are both still clutched in his fist, buried under the mound of duvets. 

  "That's one boy down, time to get the other to sleep." She gently takes Tony's hand and leads him down the corridor to their bedroom. For once he relinquishes all control, letting her lead the way. 

  He doesn't bother changing into pajamas as they get into the room. At this point, there's a high probability that he'll just pass out before reaching the bed. Instead, he crawls under the covers, closing his eyes and listening as Pepper rustles around in the wardrobe for her pajamas. Within seconds the darkness is washing over him and sleep finally wins out. 

 

  Screaming. People. Firing from all directions. Explosions on all sides. Fury's voice in his ear. The weight of the nuke on his back. 

  A bright blue light. Aliens swarming. Rippling skyline above him.

  A black void. 

  Then nothing. Inky blackness. The void of nothing. 

  The looming army. 

  The wall of fire racing towards him. 

  

  “- Tony!” He hears Pepper scream, just in time to see one of his own suits pull her off of him. 

  “Power down!” He yells, forcing the suit to stop. As an extra measure, he hits the suit which makes it collapse into pieces on the floor.

  With the suit in shambles he turns to see Pepper sitting in shock. Traumatised. His suit did that. Iron Man did it. Somehow it had responded to his nightmares and come to protect him only to hurt Pepper…

  “I must have called it in my sleep. That’s not supposed to happen. I’ll have to recalibrate the sensors. Can we just...let me just…just let me catch my breath, okay?” He pants, gripping onto his chest. 

  His heart is thundering violently in his chest, louder than anything else in the room. He can feel the blood rushing through him, making his limbs shake pathetically. It's like he doesn't have control of anything. As if he's trapped in his own body. His breaths only get raspier as every molecule of moisture in his throat disappears leaving him cold, sweaty and sore. 

  Not now. 

  This can't happen now. 

  Before he can stop her, Pepper gets up from the bed and begins storming out of the room.

  “Don’t go, alright. Pepper?” He pleads with her but she doesn’t slow down in the slightest. He wants to get up and chase her but his legs are like lead. Moving a muscle seems impossible.

  “I’m going to sleep downstairs. Tinker with that.” She spits and leaves the room. 

  Once again he tries to get up and follow her but just ends up falling backwards onto the bed. His head hits the back of the sideboard but he doesn’t really feel it. Everything is numb. Numb and quiet.

  He doesn’t know how long he just lies there, waiting for his heart rate to finally drop. He’s only snapped out of it by his phone ringing on the bedside table. His shaking hands fumble around before finally managing to grab ahold of the phone and bring it up to his ear.

  “Hello?” He croaks and massages his head. 

  “Mr. Stark?” A completely unfamiliar voice comes through the phone's speakers.

  “Yeah?” 

  “I’m calling about Happy Hogan.” She pauses as she reads the name off of a sheet of paper. Everything is quiet and still, except for the sound of papers rustling. It might only be a few seconds of quiet but it seems to stretch on for eternity. Without realising it, he’s holding his breath, his lungs still burning from his nightmares.

  “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you but he’s in the hospital right now, in a coma.” She finally speaks and it’s like the world crashes down on him.

 

  It’s strange how different people seem in hospitals. As Tony stares down at one of his oldest friends in the hospital bed, he hardly even recognises the man. Bandages are wrapped around his head, covering one of his eyes. There’s a large piece of plastic piping attached to his mouth at all times feeding into a bunch of different machines. 

  The Madarin did this. He’s been hearing the stories of the latest terrorist all over but has mostly been ignoring them. As horrible as the guy is, he’s not superhero level. Not worth Tony’s time. But now Happy is lying in the hospital because Tony did nothing. Because Tony was too caught up in his anxiety and tinkering to deal with the latest threat. 

  “Happy...” Peter mumbles, clinging onto Happy’s hand for dear life. His seat is right beside Happy’s bed so he can watch over the man. He hasn’t moved since they arrived at the hospital - not even to go get food. Pepper had to go grab them both food just to make sure Peter eats. 

  “Why do bad things always happen?” Peter sniffles and shuffles even closer to Happy’s comatose body.

  “That’s life. Sometimes it really sucks but for the most part, the good is worth all the bad stuff.”

  “It’s not fair.” Tears start falling down Peter’s face again, glistening on his cheeks. He scrunches up his face in an attempt to hold back the tears but it doesn’t seem to have really made a difference. 

  “I know but Happy wouldn’t want you to waste away here. He’d want you to go out and have fun. To be a kid.”

  “How can I have fun if he’s hurt?” Peter finally looks away from Happy to plead with Tony. Searching for some kind of answer. His brown eyes are flooded with tears that he's only just managing to hold back. 

  Quietly, Tony gets up out of his seat and walks over to Peter’s side. There’s only one chair over there so he crouches down on the floor. For once Tony has to actually look up at Peter as they talk.

  “He’ll recover in time, we just need to make sure he’s comfortable and safe for now.” He reaches one hand forward and rests it against Peter’s cheek. With one finger he gently wipes away some of Peter’s cheeks but the gesture only seems to make Peter cry more.

  Without any forewarning, Peter launches himself at Tony, wrapping his arms tightly around Tony’s neck. His arms squeeze Tony as tightly as they can but Tony doesn’t try to pull back or loosen Peter’s hold. He just lets him stay like that, sobbing loudly into Tony’s shoulder. Wet tears drop onto his shoulder and neck but he just wraps his arms around his son. 

  “He’ll be fine, he’s a survivor. It would take more than his to take him down.” He says with complete and utter confidence because he will make it through this. But the people that did this to him? They definitely won’t. 

  “We need to put on Downtown Abbey, he always watches that. He can’t miss this episode.” Peter sniffles into his shoulder.

  “Of course.” Tony kisses the side of his head and pulls away, standing up to go turn on the TV. It doesn’t take long to flick through the channels and find PBS. Tony has never seen the appeal of the show but Happy seems to love the elegance. 

  “Tony? Peter?” Pepper peeks around the doorway and enters. There’s a couple of coffees and a bag of Mcdonalds in her hands so she’s using her hips to push open the door to their private hospital room. 

  “Hey Pep.” Tony smiles weakly and surprisingly she returns it. 

  “I brought you coffee. Figured you might need it.” She holds the coffee cups out towards him but he pushes them away. Normally he’d never turn down a coffee but right now he has more important things to do.

  “Can you stay here with Peter? There’s some stuff I need to look into.” She bites her lip and pauses for a second before nodding. 

  “I’ll tell them to rearrange all my meetings.” She gives him a soft smile, “Are you sure you don’t want some coffee?”

  “Yeah. Just keep Peter company okay.” He tries to catch Peter’s eyes but he’s gone back to staring at Happy. 

  “Stay safe. Don’t do anything stupid.” She kisses him lightly. As much as he wants to make that promise and set her mind at ease, he can’t. If there was ever a time for stupid actions, this is it. 

  “I’ll see you both soon.” He waves to Peter but gets no response.  Peter doesn’t even look up as he slips out of the room and starts walking down the hospital corridor. 

  He reaches into his jacket pocket and grabs a pair of sunglasses. Instantly his heart rate drops back down to a healthy level. He might not have his suits to shield him right now but he has these. It's been so long since he last needed to use them but they're still as effective as they were before.

  Although he's physically walking through the corridor, in his mind he's still in the hospital room. As much as he wishes he could still be there, he needs to do this. He needs to hunt down the bastard who calls himself the Mandarin and make him pay. And he knows exactly where to start… 

  He's so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he almost doesn't notice the reporters and paparazzi crowding outside the hospital. They're so tightly packed that they completely block the way to his car. Trapping him completely. 

   _Fucking vultures_. One of his oldest friends was almost murdered and all they care about is their headlines.

  “Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Our sources are telling us that this is another Mandarin attack. Anything else you can tell us?” Tony does his best to ignore the questions and push through to his car but they just don’t give up. More people keep asking questions, shouting over one another to try and get his attention.

  “Hey, Mr. Stark! When is somebody gonna kill this guy? Just sayin'.” Finally Tony turns around to face the man. Everyones looking at him. Waiting for him to do something. Waiting for him to _murder_ someone. Is this what they think of when they see Tony?

  “Is that what you want?” He sighs and straightens up as all the cameras and voice recorders point right at him. All the flashing lights and expectant faces watch him, hanging off his every word.

  “Here's a little holiday greeting I've been wanting to send to the Mandarin. I just didn't know how to phrase it until now. My name is Tony Stark and I'm not afraid of you. I know you're a coward, so I've decided that you just died, pal. I'm gonna come get the body.” He reaches up and takes off his sunglasses. As much as it makes his skin crawl he wants the Mandarin to see. To see the fury in his eyes. To know that he means it. There’s no more good cop. “There's no politics here; it's just good old-fashioned revenge. There's no Pentagon; it's just you and me. And on the off-chance you're a man, here's my home address: 10880, Malibu Port, 90265. I'll leave the door unlocked.”

   Everyone watches silently, not lowering their eyes. They stare right through Tony, judging his very soul. Still, the fury rises, swallowing him. Without thinking about what he’s doing he grabs the phone from the reporter who’d posed the question. 

  “That’s what you wanted right?” He’s sick and tired of holding back. It’s time to just give into what people want. Let them have the monster they all expect to see. 

  In his rage, he turns around and chucks the phone at one of the huge stone pillars lining the outside of the hospital. There’s a sharp crack as the phone hits the stone and ricochets off into the crowd. The man stares, dumbfounded and unable to move.

  “Bill me.” Tony hisses and gets into his car, sliding the sunglasses back on. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest and his breaths getting more and more ragged.

  Before people have a chance to recover and start pestering him again, he slams his foot down on the pedal. The car goes racing off, leaving the crowd and their questions and expectations in the dust. 

  Even with his sunglasses on, his heart only starts calming down when they pull up at the mansion. But even then, he doesn't feel calm. He feels anything but. He knows Pepper is going to be pissed but right now he's too angry to regret it. Happy has been with him for decades. He's been right by Tony’s side through so many important moments. So he's going to stand by his vow and get rid of this guy. 

  "I've compiled a Mandarin database for you, sir. Drawn from S.H.I.E.L.D, F.B.I, and C.I.A intercepts." J.A.R.V.I.S informs him before Tony even has the chance to ask. There's a harsh venomous tone to the AI's voice. The kind of venom he's never heard before. The kind he never thought he'd hear in Jarvis' soft, warm voice. Then again, J.A.R.V.I.S and Jarvis haven't been the same in a long time. 

  "Good boy." His face remains stone cold as he sifts through all the documents. 

  "Initiating virtual crime scene reconstruction." J.A.R.V.I.S brings up a huge file of holographic information assembled from anything and everything he can find. Carefully, Tony guides the files over to his holographic table, blowing the compiled footage up to its full size. It’s been put together based on a whole selection of cameras, heat signatures and audio files - none of which tell the full story, at least not on their own. 

  "Okay, what do we got here?” As calmly as he can, he steps out into this strange reconstruction. Although it looks like a place, there’s no colour. Just blue lines creating shapes in mid-air. Other files that had been on his computer have also been projected beside the rest of the reconstruction.

  “His name is an ancient Chinese war mantle, meaning ‘ _adviser to the King’_. South American insurgency tactics, talks like a Baptist preacher. There's lots of pageantry going on here...lots of theater." All of these files and no information. None of this is important. None of it will help him take down the guy. He needs something else… "Close." He sighs and brushes the information aside, leaving only the hologram behind.

  “The heat from the blast was in excess of 3000 degrees Celsius. Any subjects within 12.5 yards were vaporized instantly.” J.A.R.V.I.S says distantly.

  The victims stare at Tony. Logically he knows that’s not possible, even in the hologram they are covering their eyes from the blast but he can’t shake the feeling. As he watches their bodies fade into shadows on the building wall.

   _Happy was so close to being one of those..._

  “No bomb parts found in a three-mile radius of the Chinese theater.” He attempts to distract himself from those thoughts. Getting bogged down won’t help anyone. There has to be something missing...some information he hasn’t quite put together yet.

  “No, sir.”

  Even as Happy’s body gets slowly constructed on the ground at Tony’s feet, he pushes down the emotions. Instinctively, he moves out of the way of the body so he doesn’t end up standing on the holographic body. It might just be an image but it looks oddly real - even if it is all blue.

  “Talk to me, Happy.” He mutters under his breath as the image finally completes. The photorealistic face stares at him with empty, cold eyes. One finger is outstretched in the same direction as his eyes. Curiously, he steps backwards, following the line of sight. As he moves backwards, J.A.R.V.I.S catches on, extrapolating the line from Happy’s finger all the way over to a lone dog tag sitting amongst the chaos. Completely overlooked.

  “When is a bomb not a bomb?” Carefully, he sits back down in his chair, zooming further and further into the dog tags. There’s a name just about visible on the metal surface: Taggart...“Any military victims?”

  “Not according to public records, sir.” Then what the hell was Taggart's tag doing there and why would Happy be staring at it. He’s known Happy for decades, he trusts his judgment more than he’d ever admit to the man. If Happy thought this was important in what could have been his final moments then he will figure out why. 

  So far all of the Mandarin’s attacks have all been around three thousand degrees. It’s not a common kind of explosion, in fact, he’s only heard of the Mandarin’s attacks being in that range in the last year or so.

  “Bring up the thermogenic signatures again, factor in three thousand degrees.” He jumps up onto the top of his work counter cupboards, a good six foot above the hologram. From here he can see as the hologram changes into a map of the states, small red markers sticking up wherever a reading has been recorded. 

  “The oracle cloud has completed analysis. Accessing satellites and plotting the last twelve months of thermogenic occurrence now.”

  “Take away everywhere that there's been a Mandarin attack.” All of the leftover incidents are all below three thousand degrees, all except one. “That. You sure that's not one of his?” The file explodes with information as J.A.R.V.I.S drags every last article out and places it on display.

  “It predates any known Mandarin attack. The incident was the use of a bomb to assist a suicide.” Before any Mandarin attack...could this be a test run? How all of this chaos began? Somehow it slid under the radar but there’s a remarkable similarity.

  “Bring it around.” All the other information disappears leaving just the stuff he actually needs. 

  “The heat signature is remarkably similar. Three thousand degrees Celsius.” And those aren’t the only similarities. The suicide was that of a military soldier.

  "That's two military guys." There's no way that can be a coincidence, right? "Ever been to Tennessee, J.A.R.V.I.S?"

  "Creating a flight plan for Tennessee." There's not a moment's hesitation. 

  There's no doubt Pepper is going to murder him when she finds out he's leaving for Tennessee but he'll have time for that later. Right now he has a lead to follow. Besides, it'll be safer for both her and Peter if he's not around them. 

  But before he can move to leave, the doorbell rings. He just threatened a terrorist on TV and the doorbell is ringing. 

  "Are we still at ‘ding-dong’? We're supposed to be on total security lockdown. Come on, I threatened a terrorist. Who is that?" He sighs. So much for being locked down. 

  Who the hell is it? It certainly isn’t Pepper since she has her own keys and everyone else that might possibly visit is in a completely different state. 

  "There's only so much I can do, sir when you give the world's press your home address." J.A.R.V.I.S drawls. What's the point of having a state of the art AI when they can't even keep people from bothering you? It's happened one too many times now: Obadiah, Fury, Loki - it's starting to feel like the security might be lacking. 

  "Who is it?"

  "I believe her name is Maya Hansen." The name definitely sounds familiar but he can't quite place it. He meets a lot of people, it can be hard to keep track of all of the names (especially when he's had copious amounts of alcohol before being told those names). 

  Right before heading upstairs, he summons his newest suit. Regardless of who it is, it’s safer to have the suit with him. It wraps around him with much more ease than the trials allowing him to make it upstairs just as J.A.R.V.I.S lets her in the front door.

  She steps in curiously, looking around at the mansion. As soon as she catches sight of Tony in the suit her face goes stone cold. She almost reminds him of Pepper, the way her eyebrows are raised accusingly.

  "Right there's fine." He steps forward menacingly, one arm raised and ready to fire, "You're not the Mandarin, are you? Are you?" His faceplate lifts up so he can get a better look at her.

  Maya Hansen… He’ll remember sooner or later...

  “You don't remember. Why am I not surprised?” She forces herself to smile, although it looks like more of a wince. Her judgmental chuckle really doesn’t help.

  “Don't take it personally, I don't remember what I had for breakfast.”

  “Gluten-free waffles, sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S chips in without a second's hesitation.

  “That's right.”

  “Okay, look, I need to be alone with you. Someplace not here, it's urgent.” She stares around at the building anxiously. Maybe she’s looking for J.A.R.V.I.S or some other unseen threat but whatever it is, he doesn’t care. Not right now at least.

  “Normally, I'd go for that sort of thing, but now I'm in a committed relationship.” He brushes her concerns aside casually. Of course, it’s the exact moment that Pepper and Peter decide to suddenly appear from the lab downstairs. They must have come in through the old garage entrance. “It's...with her.”

  “Tony! What the hell were you thinking?!” Pepper storms over, without noticing Maya hidden behind the wall of the entrance. She marches right towards Tony with Peter in hand. He’s being dragged behind her, unable to keep up with her longer, faster legs. 

  “Dad!” Peter instantly lets go of Pepper’s hand and races towards him as fast as he can. Instantly, the suit peels away and he is able to step out to pick Peter up. Although he’s aware of Maya’s presence, he does it anyway - after all, she’s already heard Peter call him Dad so there’s little use in denying it now.

  “Peter.” Pepper hisses, suddenly aware of the woman standing with them.

  “Don’t worry - it’s fine.” Tony tries to assure her but at this point, he might as well have not spoken at all. In fairness, he has no idea if it’s fine but that’s an issue to deal with later. Right now, there’s nothing he can do and he’s too focused on other issues.

  “Fine?! Nothing about this situation is fine! You go and challenge a terrorist on live TV and come home to find you playing host to some woman! Have you even considered the danger?!” Her eyes dart to Peter disapprovingly. 

  “I’ve considered it. And this is Maya Hansen. Old botanist pal that I used to know - barely.” The connection finally snaps into place in his head. He remembers speaking to her about her botany work (among other things). How many years ago had that been? Thirteen? Why the hell had she come here now? 

   “Please don't tell me that there is a twelve-year-old kid waiting in the car that I've never met." His eyes narrow as he steps closer to Maya.

  It's funny, before Mary and Peter he'd never even considered the possibility that his drunken escapades could have resulted in a child. Most of the time he made sure to use contraception but considering how drunk he was most of the time he's actually surprised Peter is the only one. Nowadays, he thinks about the possibility more often than he'd like. 

  "I think you already have that base covered.” She nods to Peter who is still clinging onto Tony like a monkey. He’s getting far too old to do this now but Tony won’t say no to him. Besides, the kid is small and Tony’s strong.

  “And no, I need your help." She cuts straight to the chase.

  "What...what for? Why now?" He carefully sets Peter back down on the ground - luckily without Peter making much of a fuss. As much as he’d like to keep Peter close it might be better if this was slightly more private.

  “Because I read the papers, and, frankly, I don't think you'll last the week.”

  People seem to have literally no faith in him whatsoever. Sure, he might have made a dumb move but he’s not incompetent - even in his current state.

  “I'll be fine.”

  “I'm sorry but I’m not dealing with this right now. With Happy in the hospital we need to be more careful than ever to stay safe!” Pepper cuts into the conversation.

  “That’s exactly why I’m doing this!”

  “What even is _this_? Did you even think?” Pepper crosses her arms close to her chest.

  “I thought enough.” He might not have been thinking straight but that doesn’t change things. 

  “I didn’t even get a call from you -”

  “I was busy!”

  “- I had to hear through Bruce!”

  “I was going to tell you!”

  “And then I come home and find you entertaining guests I didn’t know we were expecting. A little foresight would have been appreciated.” She looks pointedly at Peter for a second.

  “We weren't expecting anyone.” If he’d known Maya was coming he probably would have warned Pepper - just to be on the safe side about Peter. But he didn’t and there’s nothing he can do about that now.

  “No, I…” Maya tries to jump in to help him but Pepper keeps on talking.

  “And old girlfriends!”

  “She's not really.” It had literally just been a single night. He’d never even had a proper girlfriend until Pepper and she knows it. Their situation is a first.

  “No, not really. It...it was just one night.” Maya explains carefully. 

  “Yep.” 

  “That's how you did it, isn't it?” Pepper all but rolls her eyes.  

  “It was a great night.”

  “Well, you know…” Maya mumbles half-heartedly.

  “You have saved yourself a world of pain.” Pepper sighs, exasperated. 

  “I'm sure,” Maya says, almost snarkily. 

  “What?” Sure, he might be annoying sometimes but is he really that bad? 

  “Trust me.” She assures Maya before rounding on Tony “We're going out of town. All of us.”

  “No way, there’s too much to deal with here.” If he really wants to deal with the Mandarin then he needs to stay right where he is. 

  “Yep! I’ve booked flights back to New York for the three of us.” She steps forward and takes Peter’s hand, pulling him away from Tony and over to her side.

  “You and Peter should leave but I’m staying right here.” There’s no need for them to put themselves in danger. There’s no doubt in his mind that Pepper should get Peter away from here but that doesn’t mean Tony has to go too.

  “We can’t leave you here! Not if you’re in danger.” Peter tries to intervene but Pepper gently pushes him behind her

  “I’m fine Peter, Mom’s just being dramatic.” He maintains eye contact with Pepper the entire time.

  “Dramatic! You’ve put all of us in danger and now, as usual, I’m going to be the one to get us out of it.” She yells, “It’s a repeating cycle with you! Everything you do is just repeating and repeating without any growth or change!”

  “Honey…” He tries to get through to her but it’s pretty clear nothing is going to work.

  Peter is looking between Tony and Pepper uncertainly. Normally they try to avoid fighting like this in front of Peter but there’s not much choice right now. He’s still clinging to Pepper’s hand as he bites his bottom lip. Although Tony wants to reassure him, he has no idea what to say. No idea how to reassure his own son.

  “Great idea. Let's go. I'll…” Maya cuts in this time but once again, they cut through her.

  “I'm sorry. It’s a terrible idea.” He darts forward to keep Maya from making any moves, especially towards Peter.

  “Tony, this is how normal people behave.” Pepper steps forward, pulling Peter along with her.

  “You don’t understand, I can’t do this from out there. I can’t protect either of you from out there. I need to be here.”

  “Is...is that normal?” Maya cuts him off and looks up at the giant bunny in the room. 

  “Yes, this is normal!” Why does everyone have something against the rabbit? 

  “That...is very normal.” She rolls her eyes, forgetting Peter is right there for a second.

  “Do you like the bunny? Me and Dad spent ages choosing it!” Peter speaks up and steps away from Pepper to get another look at the rabbit. It had really been all Peter’s choice but they’d sat together for ages trying to think of something to get her.

  “It's a big bunny, what’s wrong with that?” Tony stares straight at Pepper, daring her to say she doesn’t like it. No one is able to tell Peter that they don’t like his gifts. It would be like kicking a puppy.

  “Of course I like the bunny.” She reassures Peter but her eyes are locked onto Tony’s

  “Peter spent ages getting this for you.”

  “I'm aware of that.”

  “You still haven't even thanked him for it!”

  “I -”

  “Guys…” Maya mumbles, walking over towards the TV that’s still playing at one side of the room. Whatever she wants can wait as far as he is concerned.

  “Tony, we are leaving the house; that's not even up for discussion.” Their previous argument is completely forgotten. Why can’t she see that he isn’t going to go with them? 

  “I said no.”

  “Dad!” Peter lets go of Pepper’s hand and runs towards Tony. He grips onto Tony’s t-shirt and tugs on it harshly. 

  “What is it?”

  Peter is pointing at the TV screen desperately. At the image of their home. The home Tony had built with his own hands. The place he’d toiled over for months and months after the aftermath of the funeral. And at the missile currently heading straight towards it.

  Before they can even turn around to check if what they’re seeing is true, all four of them are completely knocked off of their feet. Everything is moving in slow motion. He can feel the shock waves tearing through him, shaking his bones. Debris and small rocks crash into him in short sharp stabs of pain. The hand that had been gripping onto his shirt is suddenly pulled free, yanking Peter away from him. It’s all he can do to grab ahold of the boy and pull him closer. To shield him

  “J.A.R.V.I.S!” He yells, hoping that J.A.R.V.I.S can somehow hear and knows what to do. His arms are busy keeping Peter sheltered from the onslaught to protect Pepper too.

  With all of the dust swarming he can’t see if J.A.R.V.I.S has heard. At this point, he can’t hear either. His whole body curls around Peter, cushioning him, right as he’s thrown into the wall. His head is the first thing to hit, sending his vision into darkness. He’s only just able to hear Peter’s quiet yelp as the rest of his body crashes into the surface and tumbles down onto the ground. 

  Even when he’s on the ground, he stays curled up protectively. Peter is still moving in his arms, trying to wriggle free and see what is happening but Tony refuses to let go. If they were hit once, they could be hit again. Right now he can hear Peter’s heart beating and it’s the only thing in the world that matters. The sound of his heart beating in his chest. The sound takes him back all those years to that first time. That first beat. It feels like a lifetime ago - it _was_ a lifetime ago, just not his own.

  His mind thinks back to the suit he’s currently working on in secret downstairs. A special suit specifically for Peter. The other suits are way too big for him to use the way the suit is currently being used to protect Pepper. It’s not something he’d ever wanted to actually be used but right now it would have been helpful. 

  “Dad…” Peter’s voice is barely audible but he can hear it. His arms tighten around the small body as he finally allows himself to open his eyes. 

  Peter is staring up at him, a small trickle of blood running down his cheek from a small cut on his right eyebrow. He’s completely covered in dust and his eyes are overflowing with tears but there are no other injuries. He’s okay.

  Across from them, he can see Pepper wrapped up in the Iron Man suit. He’s never loved J.A.R.V.I.S more than in that moment. Both of them are safe and alive, at least for now. 

  However, just beyond her, he can see Maya’s body sprawled, unprotected on the floor. He doubts the woman is dead but she certainly looks worse for wear.

  “DAD!” Peter screams, pulling away from Tony to stare at the ceiling above them.

  Tony’s blood runs cold as the cracking noise gets louder and louder from above them. A huge crack is tearing through the ceiling, getting bigger and bigger with every second.

  They’re not going to make it.

  No matter how much he tries to shield Peter, both of them will be crushed. 

  He has no time to push Peter away. No time to do anything. All he can do is lay there. Lay and hope.

  Just as the rubble starts to fall, he feels a strong breeze whip past him. The mechanical sound of the suit pierces through the destruction just as all of it comes crashing down. When he finally opens his eyes he can see Pepper staring down at him with the faceplate raised.

  “I got you.” She whispers breathily. All three of them are panting, staring at one another.

  “I got you first. Like I said, we can't stay here.” He finally manages to let go of Peter. As much as he’d like to stay holding him forever, they really need to get out of here.

  Peter sticks right by his side, holding onto his hand the whole time. All three of them begin heading for the exit but it’s still not quick enough.

  One after another, the missiles hit, crashing into the house violently. Both him and Peter are too far back. They’re knocked backwards again but this time Peter is too far away. He’s flung out in the other direction and Tony can just watch helplessly as his body crashes into the glass window as Tony just crashes into the couch. The glass cracks as Peter hits it but doesn’t break which is something he supposes. 

  As soon as the shock has worn off, he pushes himself up off of the ground and scrambles over to Peter. There’s even more blood running down his face and his hair is matted with the stuff but he’s conscious. 

  “Dad…” He whimpers and reaches out one hand towards Tony right as the ground falls out underneath him.

  And Tony’s hand is left reaching out into empty space.

  “PETER!” Him and Pepper scream at the same time. Tony scrambles even further forward so he can peer down the huge hole in the floor. Beneath him, he can see Peter, sprawled out on the floor with a huge concrete block pinning down his leg.

  “DAD!” He looks up at Tony, trying to wriggle his foot out without any success.

  “I’m coming down to get you, just hold on.” He quickly looks over at Pepper, “I need you to take her and get out of the house now.” He demands and points at Maya’s semi-conscious form.

  “But -”

  “No buts, you need to take her and get out so I can help Peter.” He needs that suit if he’s going to get them out but he’s not going to let Pepper get crushed. They’re right by the front door so they should be able to get out easily.

  “Okay, I’m coming down Peter.”

  “I think my leg’s stuck.” Peter sniffles but brushes the tears away from his eyes determinedly. 

  “I know, I know - but I’m going to get you out of here.” Peter stays completely silent. 

  “Tony!” Pepper’s muffled voice shouts from outside the mansion and he doesn’t waste a second recalling the armor.

  It’s as quick as ever but he’s prepared this time. In seconds he has the suit on and is diving straight down into the lab where Peter is. With everything collapsing around him it’s impossible to tell what movement is going to cause a chain reaction and the whole thing tumbling down into the sea below.

  Rubble falls around him from all sides, blocking his view. The dust blurs his vision until all he can see in every direction is a thick sheet of dust. 

  "Peter!" His voice is hoarse but he yells anyway, awaiting a response. 

  "Dad?" There's a cough and a splutter from the rubble to his left. Without anything else to guide him, he moves towards the sound, bending down low. 

  "Can you move your leg?" 

  "No, it's stuck." 

  "Okay, don't worry. I'll get it off for you." He carefully takes ahold of the huge concrete slab, gently lifting it and waiting to see Peter's reaction. When he doesn't start screaming in pain, he speeds up, taking as much weight as he can with the suit helping him. Once the slab has been lifted enough Peter scrambles out of the way. Unfortunately, the motion makes the crumbling floor even more unstable. He can feel the floor underneath cracking and breaking.

  “It’s okay, I’ve got you.” Tony wraps one arm around Peter, pulling him to his side. As usual, Peter clings tightly to him, letting Tony take all of his weight. 

  The sudden shift in weight only worsens the situation, speeding up the destruction of the ground. Concrete falls away underneath him, slowly falling down towards the sea below.

  Tony tries to turn on the repulsors but nothing happens. There’s no flight power - no force. Nothing. Just a hunk of useless metal.

  “J.A.R.V.I.S, where's my flight power?!” They can’t afford to lose flight power now. Not with Peter’s life at stake. If they fall into the sea there’s no saying if Peter will survive. 

  “Working on it, sir. This is a prototype.” Of course the one suit he had to hand was the prototype. Why couldn’t he have chosen a different suit to confront Maya? Why?

  “It’s okay… It’s okay.”

  At that very moment, the gunfire starts up. Bullets tear through the structure aiming for him and Peter. Once again, he has to use his body to shield Peter from the hailstorm of bullets. God, he really should have finished working on Peter’s suit. This would have been a whole lot easier if he had. 

  Still shielding Peter, he tries to launch one of his missiles at the nearest helicopter but of course, it doesn’t work. Nothing ever works when he needs it to. Especially with this suit…

  “Sir, the suit is not combat-ready,” J.A.R.V.I.S yells out desperately.

  “I kind of gathered that.” He sighs, holding onto Peter even tighter. “Okay, new plan.” The suit might not be combat-ready but that isn’t the only way…

  He loosens his hold on Peter and brings his arm up to his face. Carefully,he pries open the metal with his hands, exposing the missiles underneath. If he can’t digitally fire them then he’ll just have to do it the old fashioned way.

  “Cover your ears.” He shouts as he launches the missile at the closest helicopter. With the assistance of the suit, it flies straight towards it despite the huge distance. As soon as it’s in range he raises the gauntlet, shooting out a perfectly aimed repulsor shot at the missile, causing it to explode in midair.

  “That’s one.”

  The helicopter is sent off course, completely alight and now pilotless. It careens off and crashes into one of the other helicopters, taking out the other ones tail in the process.

  “That’s two.” That couldn’t have gone much better.

  The now tailless helicopter crashes forwards, out of control. It smashes straight into the top part of the mansion, destroying what weak supports there were left. The entire building begins to topple, tipping towards the ocean below.

  He can hear Peter screaming but he has no idea what to do. Everything is collapsing and he still doesn’t have any flight power. With his last bit of energy, he grabs Peter and launches him forward, throwing him back into the mansion. Peter slides across the floor right to the other end of the room, his back hitting into the counter on the other side. It might have been rough but he’s on the safe side of the mansion. He’s okay.

  “Sir!” J.A.R.V.I.S yells but Tony is too busy scrambling for purchase on the tumbling concrete. As he fumbles around, one of the loose bits of debris comes barreling towards him, hitting him in the chest - right where the arc reactor is - and knocking him backwards. There’s nothing left to grab onto. No concrete to push off of. It’s just him and the empty air. He tries to fly upwards one last time but it’s useless. The suit is completely busted. 

  The air seems to last forever and no time at all. Before he can fully process what’s happening, he’s tumbling deeper and deeper into the ocean, still pinned down by a piece of rubble. It’s a chunk of the wall from the upstairs rooms. Even in the darkness, he can see the two handprints they’d painted onto it a lifetime ago. Of all debris, it had to be this one.

  He tries to push it off, his hand pushing against his own handprint. In the water, it falls away easily. Tumbling downwards into the darkness all alone. 

  It’s strange, being suspended in the water is so different to flying and so similar. Both of them have this strange, unearthly feel, like you’re floating above everything. However, unlike flying, the water feels like you’ve been suspended in time. Frozen in a single moment. Everything moves in slow motion as he falls down to the sea bed. Instead of wind rushing in his ears, there’s only silence.

  He tries his best to swim upwards, dragging his body up through the water, but it’s no use. Every time he makes any progress, another piece of debris comes crashing down. He can’t even see the surface of the water anymore. All he can see in darkness and rubble surrounding him.

  “J.A.R.V.I.S?!” His voice is hoarse and croaky. 

  Despite having the suit on, it’s getting harder and harder to breath. With every second that goes by, more water slips through the cracks in the armor. This suit had never been made to be watertight. It just wasn’t designed that way. When he gets back up to the surface he’s going to have to make some adjustments to the suits…

  Although most of his body is covered up by rubble, he’s just about able to free his arm. It pushes past all of the rubble, clawing at the hard, concrete surfaces desperately. Despite his best efforts, it’s impossible to keep his breathing calm and steady. Every breath is short and sharp, cutting through his remaining oxygen. 

  “Sir, take a deep breath.” Instantly, Tony takes one deep breath. Once again he puts his life in J.A.R.V.I.S’s hands. Metaphorical and, apparently, quite literal, as the exposed gauntlet comes free from the rest of the suit and flies upwards.

  Instantly water starts rushing into the suit. J.A.R.V.I.S does his best to minimise the situation but even then, the suit is filled with water in a matter of seconds. He has to screw his eyes shut and blindly wait there under the rubble. There’s nothing else he can do. 

  His lungs burn with every second. It’s times like this that he’s painfully reminded of Afghanistan. Most of the time he can forget about the hunk of metal sitting inside his chest. He can forget about the effects it has had on his heart and lungs. They joke that the reactor is his heart, keeping him alive, but in reality it restricts him in so many ways. It might keep the shrapnel out but that’s at a cost. A hefty one at that. 

  Slowly, everything fades away into darkness. The cold of the water, the darkness pressing down, the pressure of the rubble on top of him. It all fades. It’s like he could just float away in the sea forever. Just keep on drifting aimlessly. He almost lets go and takes a deep breath. Almost, but not quite. Before he has a chance to, the metal gauntlet grabs a hold of his outstretched hand, pulling him free from the rubble. J.A.R.V.I.S tethers him down by keeping a hold of his hand the whole time until he’s completely free.

  As soon as it’s safe the gauntlet twists around and wraps around his hand again, sealing off the suit once more. Instantly J.A.R.V.I.S starts pumping the water out of the suit, just enough for Tony to breath. Even so, he’s still too out of it to do anything. The world is still a dark blur even without the water. Thankfully, he’s not alone. J.A.R.V.I.S takes control of the suit and uses the repulsors to move him into an upright position. 

  “Flight power restored.” With the repulsors working again, J.A.R.V.I.S can shoot him up out of the water. They head towards the surface as fast as the weakened suit can manage but it still feels like an eternity. He tries his hardest to keep his eyes open but he doesn’t even get to see them break the water before it all fades to black.

 

  Cold...it's the first thing he feels. His clothes are freezing cold and stuck to him. The inside of his mouth tastes salty but honestly, he’d take that over the damp smell inside the suit any day.

  One by one, his senses wake up. Everything fades out from black as he’s dragged back to reality. Just like normal, there’s an obnoxious beeping sound right in his ear. Maybe if he was more awake he’d be questioning why he’s still in the suit but right now he’d rather just get the beeping to stop. 

  “Alright, kill the alarm. I got it.” He murmurs, still trying to force his eyes open.

  “That's the emergency alert triggered by the power dropping below five percent.” Despite J.A.R.V.I.S’s cool tone, the words do absolutely nothing to soothe him. 

  Instantly, his eyes snap open and he gets a good look at wherever the hell he is. They’re flying through the night sky at full speed. All he can see below them is a snow-coated forest and one small road winding beside it. The only light or sign of civilisation is a pair of headlight winding along the road. 

  With every second, the suit gets closer and closer to the ground. They’re barrelling downwards at full speed without any concern for the road ahead. Instinctively he moves to try and stop himself but the suit isn’t responding. There’s nothing he can do except scream as they crash into the forest below.

  He’s taken back to a different forest not too long ago as he once again is thrown into tree after tree - every part of his body being bounced around inside the metal suit. Maybe he should put some kind of cushioning inside the suit if he’s going to keep on being bashed around like this. 

  When the suit finally comes to a stop amidst a pile of snow he lies back and takes a deep breath. Definitely not the most fun experience he’s had right after waking up - and yet it’s somehow also not the worst...

  With his head still spinning and his body beaten six ways to Sunday, he carefully pulls the mask off the suit and stares up at the sky. If he wasn’t in such bad shape it would almost be nice. Without all the lights and buildings you can see the stars above almost perfectly. The snow blends in with the stars perfectly like something on a Christmas card. Especially with all the snowy trees around him.

  “It's snowing, right? Where are we, upstate?” It definitely hadn’t been snowing back home. If it’s snowing here then they must have gone a long way.

  “We're five miles outside of Rose Hills, Tennessee.”

  “Why?! J.A.R.V.I.S! Not my idea! What are we doing here? This is thousands of miles away. What about Peter? Is he okay? Did Pepper find him?” He snaps out sentence after sentence, fumbling over his words. What the hell was J.A.R.V.I.S thinking! 

  “I’m afraid I have no idea. My connection to the mansion was mostly destroyed in the attack. I had prepared this flight plan before the attack so the suit took up here by default.” J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice crackles, each wordless intelligible than the last.

  “Who asked you? Open the suit.” The only light visible now is the light from his own chest, lighting up his own clouds of breath.

  “I...I think I may be malfunctioning, sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice fizzles out weakly. 

  “Open eject.” Suddenly, the suit peels away, exposing his body to the open air. Without the restraints he sits upright, breathing in the fresh air. The chilling wind wraps around him, clinging to his wet clothes and sapping the strength out of him. He tries to rub his hands together and warm up but his attempts are hopeless in the face of the bitter wind and snow. “That's brisk! Maybe I'll just cozy back up for a bit.”

  “I actually think I need to sleep now, si -.” J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice fails, crackling and cutting out completely.

  “J.A.R.V.I.S!” He shouts out to the motionless, empty suit. For the first time, there’s no response. Nothing. “J.A.R.V.I.S? Don't leave me, buddy.” He pleads into the night air but there’s no response. 

  Without any plan or warmth, he gets up off of the forest floor and looks around at the void. Snow is falling slightly - slowly building up around him. Flakes stick to his exposed body and melt away leaving only icy water behind. 

  If he wants to survive then he needs shelter fast. There’s no way he can keep going in these wet clothes. He’ll get hypothermia before the night is out.

  As much as he’d like to just lie there, he forces himself to start moving towards the road they’d seen earlier. Using one of the suits wires to drag the suit along, they make their way through the snow fending off the cold as best they can. All he focuses on is the next step - not the hundred more that are going to have to follow it. One step at a time. 

  When lights finally appear in the distance he almost feels like crying. It might just be a gas station but it’s better than nothing. It’s better than whatever he currently has. 

  Before doing anything else, he heads straight over to a wooden statue of an Indian modeling a warm, inviting poncho. Discarding the suit to one side, he pulls the poncho off of the statue and wraps it around himself. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t do much but he holds it tightly around him anyway, reveling in the warmth it provides.  

  The food and drinks inside the station look welcoming but it’s all locked up tight and it doesn’t look like anyone will be coming any time soon. Instead he heads over to the phone box at the side of the station and picks up the phone.

  It’s been forever since he’s had to do this but he thinks he still knows the number.

  “Stark Secure Server: Now transferring to all known receivers.”

  “Pepper, Peter..it’s me. I've got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time. So first off, I'm so sorry I put you in harm's way. That was selfish and stupid and it won't happen again. I should have thought about you both. It’s my job to protect you and I majorly screwed that up - again. And I'm sorry in advance because...I can't come home yet.” He sighs to himself. He’d love to be able to tell them he’s coming home but he knows he can’t. He can’t promise them something he knows isn’t true. Besides, since he’s already here now he might as well take down this bastard for once and for all. 

  “I need to find this guy. I have to find him to keep you both safe. He’s already hurt one person I love and I’m not letting that happen again. I can’t. Peter...I promise you I’ll be home for Christmas - just like every year. I’ll make it up to you then. Maybe we can finally go and take the training wheels off of your bike. Everything will be okay. I promise…”

  Quietly, he hangs up the phone, putting the receiver back in its holder. There’s so much more he wants to say but it’ll just have to wait. For now he needs to get out of this cold. Find somewhere to hunker down for the night and come up with a game plan.

  Wherever he’s landed seems to be mostly uninhabited. There’s nothing around in any direction. Without J.A.R.V.I.S to guide him, it’s impossible to know if he’s even headed the right way or if he’s just heading further out into the wilderness. Nevertheless, he keeps on marching, looking for any sign of life.

  He has no idea how far he has traveled when lights start appearing in the darkness. He doesn’t care how far he’s gone. Right now, he just needs shelter. Anything will do. There’s a house and a small wooden garage on the premises, both worn and old. As much as he’d love to stay in a warm house, he starts dragging the suit towards the garage instead. The people here might not take kindly to a guy turning up on their doorstep, demanding a couch to sleep on.

  Thankfully the garage door isn’t locked and he’s able to quietly open it and slip inside. With one frozen hand he grabs ahold of the back of the suit and begins dragging it further into the garage. It takes everything out of him just to get the suit onto the scruffy old sofa on the other side of the room. 

  “Let’s get you comfy.” He mumbles and delicately props Iron Man up on the couch. The suit might be completely bashed up and non-functional but it’s Iron Man, his ticket out of the arse end of nowhere.

  Exhausted and freezing, he flops down onto the couch himself. There are lumps in the couch and a musty smell of damp oozing from the cushions but he leans back anyway. If he can just recover some of his energy then he can get to work. It might not be nice or even warm but it’s better than outside. 

  Iron Man’s head is turned to face him as they stare at each other. It might just be an empty metal suit but he can feel the judgment coming from the suit. His creation. From Iron Man himself.

  He’s royally screwed up this time. His home is gone, his family thinks he’s dead, he’s got no way back and has sunk low enough to break into someone else’s garage for shelter. Look how the hero has fallen.

  “You happy now?” He mumbles to the suit - a metal lifeless suit of armor. They say talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, what about talking to armor? 

  Iron Man’s eyes bore into him like they’re seeing right through him. Questioning him. Interrogating him about the next step, because there’s always a next step. For once, he has no clue where to start. The pressure of Iron Man’s stare gets harder and harder to withstand until he has to physically move the helmet so it’s no longer staring at him. 

  His feet tap against the ground at the rhythm of his thoughts. Without something to do he’s like Peter on a sugar high. Itching to do something, anything. If he doesn't know where to start then he'll just start where he always starts - with his suits.

  All the tools at the workbench are basic and a far cry from what he’s used to but some of the tech in the various cardboard boxes is actually good. There’s a box of electromagnets to one side and small circuit boards and car parts chucked about. It almost reminds him of his own chaotic workspace. 

  Before doing anything else, he grabs ahold of a pair of pliers from the side. With the light shining down on his arm, he can get to work on the micro-repeater implants that are still buried in his skin. He’s so focused on his work that he doesn’t notice as a kid steps into the garage with a loaded...potato gun?

  “Freeze! Don’t move.” He says with a steady, confident voice. 

  He must be around the same age as Peter with scruffy light brown hair. There’s a cap covering most of his hair but there’s still enough of a fringe to almost hang over his eyes. He’s got to hold back on his dad instincts that make him want to cut the poor boy’s hair.

  It’s not just his hair that’s scruffy though, scruff seems to be his whole look. All his clothes are second-hand and two sizes too big with enough oil stains to rival the clothes of Tony’s youth. Even from a distance, he can see the rips in his clothes and on the white shoulder bag hanging around him.

  The potato gun appears to be handmade out of bright coloured plastic tubing - the kind you would find for a hamster cage or something. 

  “You got me.” He carefully lowers the pliers and raises his arms, “Nice potato gun you got there. Barrels a little long. Between that and the wide gauge, it’s going to diminish your FPS -” 

  Before he can properly finish his thoughts, the boy adjusts the aim of the gun to point at a glass jar to one side. Despite it being handmade by a seven-year-old, the glass shatters perfectly and rains down onto the ground. 

  Tony does his best to look unimpressed as the kid smirks at him.

  God this kid reminds him of himself. People always say Peter is like him but all of them are wrong. At least not when Tony was seven. Peters too kind, too soft. But this kid is a different story. It's like looking in a mirror. 

  “And now you’re out of ammo.” He slowly lowers his arms without the threat of the potato gun. Even so, the boy keeps his potato gun aimed at Tony. 

  "What's that thing on your chest?" He nods to the arc reactor curiously. Doesn't he recognise the technology? It's one of Tony's most recognisable features nowadays. 

  "It's an electromagnet. You should know, you've got a box of them right here." 

  "What does it power?"

  Taking hold of the lamp, he moves out of the way and lights up the couch beside him. The silvery metal of the suit shimmers in the light only making it look more damaged. 

  Instantly the boy drops his potato gun, letting it clatter without a care in the world. He walks over, wide eyes, completely forgetting that Tony broke in. 

  "Oh my god! That…That's…Is that Iron Man?" His mouth might as well be hanging open and his eyes sparkle. Slowly, he walks closer and closer to Tony, looking between Tony and Iron Man. 

  "Technically I am." He has no idea if he’s reminding the kid or himself.

  "Technically you're dead." The boy says snarkily. 

  Oh, so now he knows who Tony is. To be honest, Tony's surprised he didn't know earlier. Considering all the oil on the kid's clothes and small hoodies around the place, this kid is into mechanics. Not trying to be cocky but everyone who's anyone in mechanics knows him. 

  The boy pushes up a creased and coffee-stained copy of the newspaper into Tony’s arms. Carefully Tony unravels the newspaper so he can read the headline: **_'Mandarin Attack: Tony Stark Presumed Dead'_ ** printed across it. What kid reads newspapers? 

  "Valid point."

  All previous restraint has gone and the boy has fully climbed onto the sofa beside Iron Man. He’s perched on the armrest so he’s higher than the suit, looking down at it. He leans forward and starts fiddling with the suit, moving its head around like it’s some kind of action figure. 

  “What happened to him?” The boy angles the suit’s helmet to look at him the way it had at Tony earlier.

  “Life. I built him, I take care of him, I’ll fix him.” Tony sighs and chucks the newspaper to one side.

  “Like a mechanic.” The boy perks up.

  “Yeah.” It’s strange to be called a mechanic but it’s not _wrong_. All he is is a glorified mechanic.

  “Oh, if I was building Iron Man and War Machine -”

  “It’s Iron Patriot now.” The bitterness is still there. How could they give him a ridiculous name like that? His suit wasn’t supposed to be defiled in that way. 

  “That’s way cooler!” Instantly he takes back everything he said about the boy before - he’s nothing like Tony. What kid thinks Iron Patriot is cooler?

  “No, it’s not.”

  “Anyways,” The boy scowls, “I would’ve added in...um...the retro…” He says casually with the kind of confidence of a professional. 

  “Retroreflective panels?” Tony’s head snaps around to look over at the boy. It’s actually a good idea, not something he’d actually been expecting to hear the boy suggest. How long has he been thinking about this?

  “To make him stealth mode.” He says with dead seriousness, not at all affected by the fact that he’s talking to Tony right now. He could be talking to the old lady across the road for all he cares.

  “You want a stealth mode.”

  “Cool, right?” The boy smiles confidently.

  “That’s actually a good idea. Maybe I’ll build one.” 

  The boy’s mind seems to run 100 miles per hour as he moves on from the previous conversation entirely and resumes his inspection of the suit. He begins pulling at the different parts of the suit curiously. It almost looks like he’s putting together a little puzzle in his head. He doesn’t even hesitate to pull off one of the suit's fingers.

  “Not a good idea.” He moves forward to try and stop him before he’s fully pulled it off but he’s already way too late for Iron Man.

  “Oops.” He mumbles but makes no effort to put the piece back.

  “What are you doing? You gonna break his finger? He’s in pain, he’s been injured. Leave him alone.” The boy looks up at him curiously, still turning the finger over in his hands.

  “Sorry….”

  “Are you?” Tony snaps without thinking about it. The poor kid stares up at him apologetically with the same puppy dog eyes as Peter. Clearly Peter has made him weak as he instantly hates himself for it, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll fix it.” It’s not like one little broken finger is going to make much of a difference considering how messed up the suit is right now.

  “So...uh...who’s home?” He looks around at the empty garage.

  It’s the middle of the night and this kid is hanging out with a complete stranger in his garage. Not exactly the kind of situation Tony would want Peter to be in. Why was he the one to investigate and not the parents or police?

  “Mom already left for the diner and Dad went to seven-eleven to get scratchers. I guess he won because that was four years ago.” The kid mumbles, staying remarkably cool and emotionless about it. He must be used to being alone.

  “Yeah...well, Dad’s suck. You don’t need him.” 

  “That’s what Mom and Rosie say.”

  “Rosie?” 

  “She’s my little sister.” He hadn’t mentioned his sister before so where’s she? Part of him wants to ask but he decides not to. There must be a reason for his silence.

  “They sound like wise people.”

  “Well, the kids in my class disagree.”

  “Kids also suck.” He’d had enough personal experience to know that. All those kids from school that would stick to him like glue until he ran out of use. Every person who sold him out for a second or fame or a few dollars.

  “You don’t seem to like anyone.” Tony chuckles involuntarily.

  “There are a couple of good people.” More than he deserves to have met.

  “I’ll make sure to tell you if I ever meet them.” The kid stares at the ground sadly. Tony should be getting to work on fixing the suit but he can’t just leave the kid like this. Not when he knows how this story will end. It’s the same story he lived through.

  Instead, he walks over to the sofa and perches on the armrest next to Iron Man. The kid doesn’t look as Tony walks over, still staring down at nothing. His tiny figure crushes Tony’s heart. The cool, confident boy from before looks small and vulnerable next to the huge, broken metal suit. Sitting within its shadow.

  “What’s your name kid?”

  “Harley. Harley Keener.”

  “Well, Harley, sometimes it feels like you’ll never find those people but I’m sure you will. I don’t know if it’ll be in one year or ten or even longer but there are good people out there.”

  “People don’t like people that are different.” Harley clenches his jaw as he stares at a point in the distance.

  “You’re not the only one without a Dad.”

  “It’s not just that…” Harley mutters almost too quiet to hear.

  “What?” 

  “Nothing.” He clears his throat, “There’s no one around here like me.”

  “I’m like you.” He offers up. Howard might not have run out on him and Maria but there are days Tony wishes he had. At least that way he wouldn’t have been drunk driving that night... 

  “Yeah but you’re super old - old people often don’t have their mom’s and dad’s.” The sassy side comes out like a mask.

  “I’m not that old.”

  “Wikipedia says you’re like a hundred years old.”

  “I’m thirty-five.”

  “Basically a hundred.”

  “It’s not even close to a hundred.” Tony rolls his eyes, “I meant that I was like you growing up.”

  “You were?” Harley narrows his eyes and arches one eyebrow.

  “Is that really so unbelievable.” 

  “I’ve read loads about you - your Dad didn’t leave.” He crosses his arms tightly over his chest, his fingernails practically digging into his arm.

  “People don’t need to be physically gone to be gone.” Howard Stark might still have been around but he was as good as gone. He might as well have gone out for scratchers and never come back.

  “But you’re rich.”

  “Sometimes rich people aren’t all that different to other people.” People are people, regardless of their wealth. “I think that’s enough sappy shit for today. Here's what I need: a laptop, a digital watch, a cell phone, the pneumatic actuator from your bazooka over there, a map of town, a big spring, a change of clothes and a tuna fish sandwich.”

  “What’s in it for me?” Harley tilts his head to one side, plotting something. He’d make a perfect little entrepreneur. Even now he can picture it. 

  “Salvation. What’s his name?”

  “Who?”

  “The kid that bullies you at school, what’s his name?” 

  “EJ, his name is EJ.” Harley bites the inside of his cheek. 

  “I got just the thing for him.” Tony reaches inside the suit and pulls out his flash grenade, “This is a pinata for a cricket. I’m kidding, it’s a very powerful weapon. Point it away from your face, press the button on top. It discourages bullying. Non-lethal, just to cover one’s ass.” It’s probably not the best thing to give a seven-year-old but if he’d had one of these in his pocket back at those pretentious boarding schools he’d have been much happier. Sometimes you need to go the extra mile to get those kinds of people to leave you alone.

  Harley reaches out for the device but Tony quickly moves it out of his reach. Harley pouts but doesn’t stop trying to reach for it. 

  “Deal? Deal? What’d you say?”

  “Deal.” He finally says and grabs the device from Tony enthusiastically. He grins broadly and holds onto the device like it’s the holy grail or something.

  “We don’t have much time so you better get started on those things.”

  “Fine...I’ll be back soon.” Harley rolls his eyes but is still grinning. He quickly slips the device into his pocket and hands Tony Iron Man’s finger. 

  Once he’s left, Tony grabs ahold of the broken Iron Man gauntlet. It wouldn’t take too long to reattach the finger but that wouldn’t really do any good right now. There’s too much wrong with the suit to just reattach the finger and be done.

  Instead, he grabs a hold of the gauntlet and throws it down on the workbench with all of the tools. As carefully as he can, he dislodges the repulsor from the rest of the metal so it’s completely bare and exposed. The wires are still hanging out loosely, unconnected to the usual power source. Without the metal casing, it would be painful and dangerous to use but right now, those might as well be his middle names. Any weapon is better than none. 

  As he sits down at the counter and carefully pieces the makeshift weapon together. Despite everything, the small action of slowly building up the repulsor again calms his mind. It’s so peaceful and quiet he can almost pretend Peter is still lying on the couch fast asleep. Part of him wishes Harley was still here if it would help him pretend for a second longer. Help him forget about the sight of Peter bloodied on the floor of the mansion.

  When Harley does return, it’s with full arms. He’s piled up an outdated laptop, flip phone, Dora the Explorer watch, and a map all onto his arms. On top of everything else is a small pile of clothes and a plate with a sandwich on it. In the back of his mind, he wonders if the clothes are the kid's dad’s - if they even still keep those clothes. None of the stuff big or fancy but it’s probably some of the best stuff in the house. Instantly he feels terrible for taking it from the family. When he gets back home he’ll send them more than enough money to cover all of it.

  “Here.” He bends down so Tony can take the little plate from the top of the pile and drops the rest of the stuff down on the workbench.

  “Thanks, kid.”

  “What are you doing with all this stuff?” Harley probes as he wanders around the room searching for a spring. As soon as he’s grabbed one, he chucks it down on the workbench in front of Tony alongside all the other stuff. It is completely rusted and messed up but beggars can’t be choosers.

  “Making stuff.” He mumbles with his mouth full. He hadn’t realised how hungry he was. God, it’s been forever since his last good meal. This might not actually be a good meal but it feels like one right now.

  “Are you always this vague?” Harley rolls his eyes and hops up onto the workbench. The potato gun is in his hand so he can dismantle it for the pneumatic actuator. Just like Peter, he seems to be incapable of keeping his legs still. Is that a little boy thing?

  “Are you always this annoying?”

  “Mom says I am.” He shrugs and carefully pulls apart the gun to remove the piece Tony needs. Once it’s removed he peers over at the dissected repulsor with his head cocked to one side. “You know I could help you fix that. I make a lot of stuff like that.”

  “Oh really, like your little potato gun?” Harley glares at his and crosses his arms, “Go on then. Show me what you would do.”

  Tony slides the repulsor over to the boy, letting him fiddle around for a few minutes. As he tucks into the sandwich, he watches the kid from the corner of his eye. Harley’s too engrossed in the work to even notice, every ounce of attention going into making sure the work is perfect.

  “You know this sandwich is actually fair.” Tony holds up the half eaten food approvingly. No offense to Peter but this is so much better than what he makes. When it comes to Peter’s food, it’s the thought that counts.

  “I used to make them for my sister's lunch.” He explains nonchalantly without taking his eyes off of the repulsor.

  Used to…. The wording stands out like a sore thumb. It feels like with every sentence they exchange, he gets a clearer picture of the kid. It’s the kind of life Tony had done his best to make sure Peter didn’t live.

  “Clearly the practice did well.” Tony nods and stuffs the rest of the sandwich in his mouth. Even eating this sandwich is cutting into their time which means he needs to be faster.

  “Done!” Harley beams and holds up the bare repulsor to show Tony, “Try it out!” He thrusts it into Tony’s hand vigorously. 

  Without any hesitation, he slips the repulsor onto his hand. It’s only held on by a little metal strap that wraps around his wrist which Tony had managed to salvage. Other than that, it’s literally just a circular repulsor resting on his palm.

  “Here goes nothing.” He carefully aims the repulsor at the ground where it should be able to do the minimal amount of damage. It’s bad enough that he’s come in here and taken their stuff - he doesn’t want to ruin the kid's workspace too.

  Although his left hand is gripping onto his wrist, it turns out he doesn’t even need to. Miraculously, the recoil is nothing like what he’d been expecting. However the repulsor itself still burns the palm of his hand.

  “You like it?” Harley bites his lip.

  “Where did you learn this stuff?” Tony stares down at the little circle of light on his palm curiously. Even if it’s overheating slightly, it could still be of use. Without damaging it, he carefully takes it off of his wrist and tucks it into his pocket.

  “Practice - and books. There’s not much to do around here - especially when there’s no one around to talk to.” Harley stares down at the ground as he kicks up a small dust cloud.

  “It’s impressive kid. You’ve got real talent.”

  “Am I more talented than you?” Harley smirks and puffs up his chest but none of those walls can hide the childish glee in his eyes.

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself now. You gotta play it cool.”

  “Whatever.” He rolls his eyes but even when he lowers his head, Tony catches a small smile on his face, “What did you think about the other stuff?”

  “Well, the spring is a little rusty and the rest of the materials...I'll make do.” He carefully picks up the cute pink Dora the Explorer watch and examines it, “By the way, when you said your sister had a watch…”

  “Yeah?” Harley smirks.

  “...l was kind of hoping for something a little more adult than that.” He mutters but starts putting the watch on anyway. It’s not perfect but if it works, then that’s fine by him.

  “She's four. Anyway, it’s limited-edition.” Harley laughs and nods appreciatively at the watch which is now on Tony’s wrist. The hard pink plastic strap cuts into his wrist painfully. "What are you even doing here?" Harley asks suddenly. 

  "None of your business." 

  "You're the one that broke into my garage. Don't I get any answers?" He crosses his arms sternly and holds himself up high. 

  "I'm looking for a place where an explosion went off." 

  "Rose Hill?" Harley suddenly loosens, his ears perked up. 

  "You know it?" 

  "Everyone does."

  "Can you take me there?" He arches one of his eyebrows. 

  "When do you wanna go?"

 

  Tony isn’t sure what he’d been expecting but the run-down alleyway isn’t quite it.

  It hadn’t taken them long to finish up and come down here. As soon as Tony had gotten changed into the warmer, drier clothes they’d headed out towards the town. 

  "This is the place," Harley announces.

  At the end of the alley is a memorial or shrine of some sort. Candles have been lit up to surround the area with photos and flowers littering the space. The very center has a small dip, like a bomb crater of sorts and around it five shadows stain the wall.

  For something so simple it's remarkably…sad. There's a weight behind it that he can't quite describe. Something you can only feel by standing right there in that spot. 

  “When can we talk about New York?” Harley suddenly changes the topic, throwing Tony right into the deep end.

  “Maybe never. Relax about it.” He tries to stay calm but just hearing those words sends his heart rate soaring. Never before have a couple of words held such power over him. Like a concrete block crushing his chest.

  “What about the Avengers? Can we talk about them?” Harley leans forward excitedly.

  To him this is all just fun. Little stories about superheroes saving the day. Why would it be any different? He wasn’t there. He didn’t have to see it himself. Didn’t have to see the army waiting just beyond the portal.”

  “I dunno. Later.” He brushes him off, praying that the kid will let him finally change the subject. Maybe if they put it off long enough he’ll just forget.

  As they walk over to the shrine, Harley starts to drift closer to Tony. Even though Harley is no older than Peter the knee jerk reaction to protect the rector comes back. He can feel himself tensing up and has to nudge the kid away. 

  "Hey, kid, give me a little space."

  Harley stares down at the ground and bites his lip. He pulls the jacket closer around himself and seems to shrink slightly as he hunches over more. He shuffles ahead of Tony, heading straight over to the memorial without a word.

  He'd thought after having Peter he might finally get better at dealing with kids but clearly not...

  "What's the official story here? What happened?" Tony clears his throat and tries to stop being a dick. 

  “I guess this guy named Chad Davis used to live roundabouts. He won a bunch of medals in the army. And one day, folks said he went crazy and made, you know, a bomb. Then he blew himself up, right here." Harley explains quietly as he sits down at the edge of the small crater. 

  Cautiously, Tony walks around the edge, staring at the walls. There's no doubt these are what's left of the people killed in the explosion. It's haunting to see their remains like this. Empty faceless shadows forever burnt into the walls. The heat required to do that… 

  “Six people died, right?" He asks, running a finger along one of the black figures. 

  “Yeah." 

  “Including Chad Davis."

  “Yeah, yeah." 

  “Yeah. That doesn't make sense." Tony mumbles as he takes a seat right next to Harley, "Think about it. Six dead. Only five shadows." If there were six people killed then there would need to be six shadows. The bomber would have one themselves. So where is it… 

  “Yeah. People said these shadows are like the marks of souls going to heaven. Except for the bomb guy. He went to hell, on account of he didn't get a shadow. That's why there's only five." Harley rattles off the story like it's one he's heard a million times. Like it's just a fairy tale. 

  “Do you buy that?" Tony looks over at him cautiously, trying to figure the kid out. He's not an open book like Peter. There's something else. Something he's guarding. 

  “It's what everyone says," Harley mumbles and stares down at his hands. 

  Despite his reaction to being near the kid earlier, he notices that he's sat close to him now. The uncomfortable feeling settles in his chest again but he stays there at the kid's side. 

  “You know what this crater reminds me of?" The boy clears his throat, losing the somber tone he had earlier. 

  “No idea. I'm not… I don't care."

  “That giant Wormhole in, um, in New York. Does it remind you?" Harley looks up at the sky as if he's expecting it to open up again. God he hopes it never does. 

  “That's manipulative. I don't want to talk about it." Tony snaps back. 

  “Are they coming back? The aliens?" Harley pushes anyway. 

  Just like the other times it feels like his heart is about to explode out of his chest. It doesn't help that he's outside in the dark. He can practically feel the sky above him looming. Waiting. It's dizzying. Just the thought of it makes him lightheaded. 

  “Maybe. Can you stop? I kind of have an anxiety issue." An anxiety issue. It's the first time he's said it aloud. The first time he's accepted what is it. 

  He attempts to draw breath but the air is cut off. Every time he tries, his dry throat cries out with pain. Since when did breathing require so much energy? 

  “Does this subject make you edgy?" Harley leans closer, cautiously.

  “Yeah, a little bit. Can I just catch my breath for a second?" He tries to draw breath again but there's nothing. Just the cold empty nothing. 

  “Are there bad guys in Rose Hill? Do you need a plastic bag to breathe into? Do you have medication?" Tony doesn't even hear him. Not really. It's like the words are being spoken to another person. All he can hear is his own heartbeat in his ears and the sound of his ragged breaths. 

  “No." 

  “Do you need to be on it?"

  “Probably." 

  “Do you have PTSD?" 

  “I don't think so." His brain spits out the responses, trying to focus on breathing and not on the crushing dread looming above him. 

  “Are you going completely mental? I can stop. Do you want me to stop?" Harley splutters, his words fumbling over one another into a mess of noise. 

  "Remember when I said to stop doing that? I swear that you're gonna freak me out."

  Despite the situation, he tries to stay as collected as possible. This kid might be annoying as hell but he's a kid. No way would he let Peter see him lose it like this so he won't let Harley. He'll try to stay strong like Harley needs him to. Strong like Iron Man is supposed to be.

  "Ah, man, you did it, didn't you? You happy now? What did I say?" He grunts and forces himself up onto his feet. Right now he needs to get away. Far away. Put as much space as possible between him and the kid. If he's far away then he can keep himself together. 

  "Hey! Wait up!" Harley chases after him through the snow. "Wait, wait."

  In the end, he can't even make it to the end of the street. With his legs shaking it's impossible to keep himself standing for any longer. His body collapses under itself, throwing him against the wall pathetically. 

  His legs land in the snow, chilling his entire body. He actually embraces the cold as his body feels like it's burning. There's no disguising the cold sweat sticking to his forehead. 

  "What the hell was that?" Harley runs over to his side.

  "Your fault. You spazzed me out." He pants, keeping everything in check. 

  To distract himself he reaches down and picks up a handful of snow in his shaking hand. Before Harley can react, Tony chucks the handful at him only to watch it pathetically splatter on the boy's coat. Sure, it might not have been the most impressive of throws but he just had a panic attack so you can't exactly blame him. 

  "Okay, back to business." He takes a deep breath in an attempt to right himself, "Where were we?"

  "The guy who died." Harley prompts him uncertainly. 

  "Relatives? Mom? Mrs. Davis, where is she?

  "Where she always is.

  "See? Now, you're being helpful. Can you take me there?" 

  "Sure, it's not that far. Just the bar down the road."

  "Lead the way." Tony carefully pushes himself up off of the ground so he's weakly standing.

  "Are you sure you're okay? You don't need anything? Food? Medicine?" 

  "I'm fine, kid. Just take me to Mrs. Davis."

  This was definitely not how he pictured his night going. Instead of spending the time hanging out with Pepper and Peter he's taking a seven-year-old kid to a bar in the middle of the night. 

  "You're not coming in the bar, you know that right?" Tony says before they get too close to the bar. At this time of the night there will be all sorts of people hanging out in a place like this. No way he'd let any kid do something like that. 

  "What!? But I brought you here!" Harley says indignantly. 

  "Thanks but your like five, you need to be back home." 

  "I can't walk home all by myself! It's dark." 

  "But you can go into a bar?" 

  "I'd be with you so I'd be fine. No one would touch me with Tony Stark around."

  "You couldn't be more wrong. I've seen it happen before. You stick around me too much and bad stuff will happen." His mind can’t settle on one specific face. Happy, Peter, Pepper, Maria, Mary - hell, even Coulson. There are too many faces. Too much damage

  "Who got hurt?" Harley asks quietly.

  "Everyone. Everyone I care about gets hurt. You're in more danger if you hang around me." It's happened one too many times. He's already gotten this kid too involved. However, as much as he wants to send the kid home, he's also right that it's too dark for him to go alone. "You said your Mom worked in the diner right?" Tony nods at the diner across the road.

  "Yeah…"

  "I need you to go wait with her. You'll be safe with her."

  "She’s working, I can't just go in there."

  "She'd rather you went in than got killed." Tony points out. Personally he'd rather have everyone in the world know about Peter’s existence than lose him. No question. 

  Harley stares at him for a few seconds. He's gritting his teeth and clenching his fists trying to think of a snarky response. 

  "Fine…" He tears his eyes away from Tony and crosses his arms.

  As he walks away he keeps looking back at Tony, hoping he'll change his mind. Instead, Tony turns around only to bump into a lady. 

  "Uh...Sorry." Tony turns around to apologise but she's already moving on. Her purse has fallen out into the snow, "Lady? Is this, uh…" He bends down and picks the purse up for her. 

  "Thank you." She smiles and takes it from him, meeting his eyes. 

  Her face has been burnt at some point since it has the typical markings on one side of her face. It's not a bad burn but it's noticeable. The markings spread along one of her cheeks but don't spread much further than that. 

  "Nice haircut. it suits you." Tony clears his throat and tears his eyes away from the scars. 

  "Nice watch." She smiles cheekily as she catches sight of the Dora watch. 

  "Yeah. A limited-edition." 

  "Oh, I don't doubt it." She smiles sweetly, "Well, have a good evening." She keeps an eye on Tony as she walks away, leaving Tony alone. 

  For a second, Tony watches her before finally turning around and entering the bar. 

  For such a small town it's a busy bar. It's hard to find a place to sit, let alone a person amongst the crowds. Harley didn't give him a picture but did give a description. It takes a few minutes wandering around the bar but eventually he manages to find someone that matches what Harley says. 

  "Mrs Davis?" Tony cautiously approaches the woman, "Mind if I join you?" 

  "Free country." She shrugs her shoulders and leans back in the chair. There’s a dog tag in her hand which she keeps turning over in her hand. 

  "Sure is." He smiles and slides into the seat opposite her which is conveniently empty.

  As he examines her he notices a file beside her. Chad Davis' name is written on the front in bold letters but it looks like a military file of some kind. What the hell is she doing with something like that in a bar? 

  "All right. Where would you like to start?" She sighs. Clearly she's waiting for someone. Someone who isn't Tony. 

  "I just want to say, I'm sorry about your loss. I want to know what you think happened."

  "Look, I brought your damn file. You take it, go. Whatever was in here, he wanted no part of it." She brushes him off and slides the file over to him.

  Well, that was easier than expected… 

  Curiously, he begins looking through the file, taking in the pictures and reports. Definitely some kind of military file… 

  "Clearly, you're waiting for someone else. Huh? Supposed to meet someone here?" He looks up and asks her. 

  "Yeah." She mumbles softly. 

  He flips over the page and scan reads a medical file in the document. The letters MIA have been scrawled at the top but the ink is strange like it was applied on the other side of the paper. 

  Even more interestingly is the photo of none other than J. Taggart. Talk about coincidence...

  "Mrs. Davis, your son didn't kill himself. I guarantee you, he didn't kill anyone. Someone used him." He leans forward and speaks softly. If this guy is linked to Taggart then there's no doubt that he was used in the same way.

  The five shadows… 

  "What?" She frowns, caught off guard. 

  "As a weapon." He tries to clarify as best he can. Someone's making these people into suicide bombers. Throwing their lives away. 

  "You're not the person that called me after all, are you?" She whispers teary-eyed. Cautiously she slides the file back, sniffling loudly.

  Suddenly, something thuds against the tabletop. Mrs. Davis practically jumps out of her skin, gasping loudly at the sight of the woman.

  “Actually, I am.” The woman smirks. He recognises her instantly as the woman he’d just bumped into outside. There’s no way this is a coincidence…

  She doesn’t hesitate to grab Tony’s arm, twisting it behind his back. She pushes down on the arm to force him onto the table with a heavy thud. Everything aches but he makes the most of the moment, grabbing a dog tag from the table.

  “Hey, hey, hey! What's all this about? What the hell is going on here?” A guy steps forward and speaks in the now silent bar.

  “It's called an arrest.” The woman snarls and tightens a pair of handcuffs around his wrists. The hard metal cuts into his skin as she yanks him upwards and throws him onto the floor at her feet. “Sheriff, is it?”

  “Yes, ma'am, it is. And you are?” The Sheriff approaches her cautiously.

  “Homeland Security. We good here?” She growls impatiently, slinking closer to him.

  “No, we're not ‘good’.” The man chuckles humourlessly and looks around at his buddies. “I need a little more information than that.”

  “Well, I think it's a little above your pay grade, Sheriff.”

  “Yeah? Well, why don't you get on the horn to Nashville and, uh, upgrade me?” As grateful as Tony is for this guy stepping in, he’s a complete idiot. This lady is going to tear him apart before Tony can bust out of these things. 

  “All right. You know what? I was hoping to do this the smart way, but, uh, the fun way is always good.” She hisses and walks straight up to the guy, standing face to face with him.

  Out of the corner of his yee. Tony notices her fist light up red as she clutches her homeland security badge.

  “Deputy, get this woman out of…” The sheriff turns his face from the woman for a second but never gets to finish his sentence. 

  Her bright red hand reaches forward and grabs ahold of his face. There’s an audible sizzle as her hand begins burning through his face. All of his friends are suddenly back away as he screams in agony. Before they can escape she grabs the sheriff's gun and aims it at each of the men in turn. One by one they go down in a spray of bullets. 

  With her distracted, Tony pulls himself to his feet. His hands are still handcuffed behind him but there’s nothing stopping him from running. He escapes the bar with everyone else, trying to lure her outside where she can do less damage. 

  “Hey, hot wings, you want to party?” He turns around and yells as everyone shoves past him into the street. “Come on, you and me, let's go.”

  He starts making a run for it down the street in an attempt to put more distance between the two of them. In the end, he doesn’t even make it 100 meters away before another red-faced buddy of hers steps out of one of the cars, cutting him off.

  Fuck. Why does this always happen? Does fate really hate him this much?

  As Tony turns and runs back the way he came the man pulls out a gun. He can hear the bang of the gun but for some reason, only two shots are fired. Part of him wants - needs - to turn around and see what’s going on but he can’t afford to do that. Whatever miracle is keeping him from being torn to ribbons, he’s grateful for it.

  Before the guy can start shooting again, Tony slides behind a car. There’s a man lying behind the car beside him. Considering the circumstances, the guy actually seems pretty relaxed. He certainly looks more relaxed than Tony feels.

  His mind is working at a million miles per hour trying to figure out the situation. Searching for some way out.

  “Crazy, huh?” He pants, looking down at the oddly calm man.

  “Yep.” The guy mumbles casually.

  “Watch this.”

  This is probably the most stupid half baked plan he’s ever had - and that’s saying something. He doesn’t even give himself a few seconds to think because if he thinks for a second longer then he’s not going through with it. Instead, he launches himself straight at the nearest shop window, crashing through the thick glass pane. Glass rains down all around him and cuts into his skin so small beads of blood appear all over the surface.

  His head throbs painfully from the impact and his vision blurs as he moves. Despite all the pain, he pushes against the ground and carefully finds his way back onto two feet. But as usual, he has no time to catch his breath as the barrel of a rifle stares him in the face.

  The crazy red-skinned lady is grinning psychotically, slowly walking towards him with her rifle. If anything, this is some kind of game. Not the kind he normally plays though. 

  Getting shot wasn’t exactly on his to-do-list today and it would probably piss Pepper and Peter off a bit so he vaults over the shops cash register, taking shelter behind the structure. Through the gaps in the structure, he can see her slowly making her way over. Now would be a great moment for one of his heat of the moment, half-assed, suicidal plans but somehow literally nothing comes to mind. His mind is a blank slate. Fantastic…

  Cautiously he shimmies over to hide behind the blocked off part of the counter in the hopes that he might somehow be able to take her by surprise. Against his better judgment, he peeks around the edge of the corner only to find the woman crouched a centimeter away from him, smirking viciously. 

  Before he can react she grabs a hold of him and slams him against the wall, punching him in the face. As he staggers away she grabs him again, punching him in the abdomen and slamming him onto the counter. If his head wasn’t ringing before, it certainly is now. After being punched and thrown about by her, the cold surface of the counter is a welcome respite. 

  With his hands handcuffed together, the best he can do is roll off of the counter but even then she manages to grab ahold of him and slam him against the wall. She really has a thing for slamming people against walls. There might be some issues there...

  On instinct, he wraps the cuffs around her neck, in the hopes that it’ll do something. Instead, her hands grip onto his face, slowly roasting the skin. Before she can finish the job he twists away, twisting her with him. A plan slowly comes into focus as he pushes up off of the counter and slides to the other side. His cuffs are still wrapped around her neck tightly. With her, on the opposite side of the counter, he tightens the metal chain so it slowly cuts off her oxygen.

  Instead of looking worried, she chuckles, flashing her pearly whites once again. The skin of her neck heats up to an even brighter shade of red. Even the metal of the cuffs start to glow as the metal melts away and becomes weak. He can feel the blistering heat pushing down on him from all sides and the cuffs snap apart.

  In fairness he figured something like this might happen but it’s not a complete loss. In fact, this could be quite good. Now he has two hands. Now he can fight back. Sure, he might not be Iron Man but that doesn’t mean he can’t hold his own in a fight. Besides, sometimes fighting isn’t the only way out of a situation.

  Before she can make her way over to him, he kicks a tub of gasoline out towards her. A trail of it is left behind on the ground, making a perfect fuse line. The melted, red hot pieces of the handcuffs are still at his side. They might be too hot to touch but he can kick them. They slide along the ground towards the gasoline and hit the trail of liquid as they go. Instantly a huge flame bursts up from the ground and races towards her, creating a barrier blocking her from him. It won’t buy him long but he doesn’t need long.

  Before she enters the room he reaches over to the microwave and presses some buttons, starting the timer for thirty seconds. That will be enough time, right?

  “You walked right into this one. I've dated hotter chicks than you.” He shouts out as she steps through the inferno, unscathed. If she wasn’t such a nutjob he’d be impressed.

  Like some creature from a horror movie, she drags herself along the floor, gasping and chuckling dementedly.

  “That's all you got?” He reaches over and pulls out the gas pipe, letting the gas fill the room, “A cheap trick and a cheesy one-liner?”

  “Sweetheart, that could be the name of my autobiography.” He smirks and bolts out of the room. He doesn’t dare look back, instead grabbing onto some kind of fridge door and using it as a shield. 

  He doesn’t need to be able to see to know the plan has worked. He can feel the intense heat emanating from the building and can hear the explosion. The sound echoes through his bones and body. He has to wait until it's faded away before he can check to see if it worked. 

  Part of him wants to throw up seeing the woman's corpse hanging from the telephone wires. She's been completely fried, adding to her already slightly charred body. Instead he stumbles around, trying to get his bearings and figure out where to go from here. 

  People are running in every direction, scrambling for cover from the explosion or from the fiery maniacs that had been prowling the streets. They’re screaming, he can see their mouths moving, but he can’t hear them. The ringing is drowning everything else out. It’s like he’s been dropped in a movie - watching everything play out but unable to do anything. Nothing feels...real. It’s all some strange dream he’s having. A nightmare. He’s crawled into one of the nightmares that torments what little sleep he gets.

  Half dazed, he stumbles into a forest of Christmas trees, all dead and waiting to be dragged into peoples living rooms. All the people and the chaos fades away as he lets himself get swarmed by the trees, stumbling through to try and figure out what to do next. There’s still another maniac out there, not to mention Harley who’s could still be stuck in the middle of all this. His mom's shop was too close - right in the middle of all of the chaos and terror.

  With the ringing drilling through his skull he only notices the Rose Hill water tank when it’s too late. When the image of it creeps into his peripheral, sending a spike of panic through his stiffened limbs.

  The metal stilts holding the whole thing up are glowing red hot. Slowly the metal bends, giving way under the immense weight of the tonnes of water above. His eyes follow the trail of red hot metal down to the ground level and to the guy waving his red hot hand over the metal stilts. His smirk burns brightly through the dark.

  The huge metal tank groans as it becomes more and more unstable. By the time his limbs have kicked into action it’s already crashing down towards the ground. He has to dodge and weave through the trees but it’s not fast enough. If only he’d noticed sooner. If only he’d been better. If only…

  In a last attempt to get out of the path of destruction, he launches himself forward only to slam into a chain-link fence. He just about has time to turn around and stare at the oncoming wave heading straight towards him. It’s not just water anymore, there’s trees and fragments of a torn apart trailer crushed up with all the water. All of the destruction barrels straight towards him and all he can do is stare…

  When the water first hits him, all the air is forced out of his lungs. His lungs try to gasp for air but he clamps his mouth closed. No matter how hard his lungs ache and burn, he has to keep his mouth closed. There’s no way he’s going to let this get the better of him. 

  Before he can even fully process everything that is already happening, a sharp pain smashed into his leg, clamping him down in one position. His head is slammed backwards into a huge chunk of metal, completely disorienting him. He tries to wriggle free but nothing is making any sense. He’d forgotten he was supposed to be holding his breath but instead of breathing in water, cold, sharp oxygen floods into his lungs. 

  Even though the water seems to have passed, it still feels like the icy cold water is surrounding him. Part of him knows he should be shivering - it’s snowing for fucks sake - but he just isn’t. He’s not an idiot, he knows that probably isn’t good, but there’ll be time to think about that later. Right now, he needs to deal with the crushing weight pushing down on his leg. 

  Without all the water pushing down on him he can see the huge metal beams pinning his leg down. They’re interwoven with the trailer debris and torn up chain link fence to create a highly effective trap. His hands pull at the metal pathetically but nothing seems to work. 

   _Iron Man could do this. Iron Man would be out of this in seconds but Tony…?_

Tony is trapped. 

  “Let me go!” A voice cuts through the ringing and the screaming.

  Instantly, Tony’s head snaps up. He doesn’t even need to think. Not for a second. Because it sounds so much like...

  “Help me! Help me!” The man from before screeches mockingly as he saunters towards Tony over the rubble. A child has been slung over his shoulder - a kid in scruffy, too big, too familiar clothes.

  Harley struggles, slamming his clenched fists into the guys back. He pounds and pounds with everything he has but the guy doesn’t even notice. With ease he grabs a hold of the kid and clutches Harley to his chest in full view of Tony. Holding him like a hunter with his prey.

  “Anyway- Hey, kid, what would you like for Christmas?” He holds the kid on his knee in a twisted mockery, gripping onto the kid tightly. Too tightly. His arms are still glowing red as they wrap around the kids small body.

  Every cell in Tony’s body burns with rage. Once again he pathetically pulls at the metal holding him down, hoping and praying that something will miraculously work.

  “Mr Stark, I am so sorry.” Harley pleads and pulls at the mans arms as feebly as Tony. He’s still trying his best to fight and stay strong but his breaths are short and fast. Even from this distance he can see the tears in Harley’s eyes as he gasps are wriggles to no avail. 

  He’s scared.

  The kid who went to confront an intruder with a potato gun is _scared_. 

  A kid is scared and Tony can’t do anything.

  There’s no super suit, no superpowers. He doesn’t have superhuman steroids or a magic hammer or special skills. He’s just a guy. Just a guy watching a strong, stubborn, annoying-as-heck kid in danger, unable to do anything.

  Despite everything - he’s just a scared kid.

  And he’s never looked more like Peter. 

  “No, no, no. I think he was trying to say, ‘I want my goddamn file’.” The guy grips Harley even tighter but the kid still wriggles and squirms. He refuses to lie down and take it.

  Tony might not have super abilities to get him out of this but maybe he doesn’t need to get free… Maybe he doesn’t need to do everything by himself…

  His hand suddenly brushes past the repulsor he’d forgotten was in his pocket. Although it would have taken too much time to put on earlier, now he has more than enough time. He just needs to get the kid out of the line of fire...

  “It's not your fault, kid.” He stops struggling and sits up, one hand carefully working on getting the repulsor onto his wrist. He hopes the kid can hear his sincerity. “Remember what I told you about bullies?” Instantly the kid stiffens, going still and silent. His face hardens determinedly, the wheels turning in his mind.

  Cautiously, Tony keeps an eye on the man as Harley sneaks one hand into his jacket pocket. The man doesn’t even notice as Harley bursts into action, bringing the stun grenade up to the man’s eye level. Both Tony and Harley’s eyes screw up in anticipation. 

  As soon as it goes off, the man rears backwards and loses his balance. Just the slightest push from Harley and he’s sent sprawling backwards. That moment gives Harley enough time to scramble away and duck behind all the trash lying around the place. By the time the guy has managed to get up there’s no sign of Harley anywhere. Although he looks around for a second, all thoughts of the kid seem to have vanished.

  “You like that, Westworld?” Tony snarls, staring up from the spot where he’s pinned down. “That's the thing about smart guys, we always cover our ass.” In one quick motion, he whips out his hand and points the repulsor straight at the guy. Before he can even think about counter-attacking, Tony has shot him in the head sending him sprawling lifelessly onto the floor.

  The surface sears the skin of his palm but he doesn’t even care. Even if it burns, he’s got the kid to thank.

  In one swift motion he’s pulled the device off of his wrist and chucked it across the floor where it can’t hurt him. 

  “Tony?” Harley peers around the edge of the trash, hiding most of his body just in case.

  “It’s okay to come out. He’s certainly not going to get up any time soon. The charred face of the man is visible even from where he is.

  “Woah! I can’t believe my device did that.” The kid creeps out and leans over to look at the mans face.

  “I think you’ll find that device was mine.”

  “Whatever.” He shrugs and casually saunters over to Tony.

  “Come on and help me get this thing off of my leg.” Tony summons him, pulling out a small piece of piping to help dislodge all of the metal. Harley grabs onto the piping too, holding it in place as Tony wriggles out to free himself.

  “You okay, you didn’t break your leg or anything?”

  “Nah, I’m good.”

  “Because I saved you, right?”

  “After I saved you. What did I tell you about playing it cool? Don’t be a yutz.” The kid simply rolls his eyes smugly.

  “Admit it, I’m like your Robin.”

  “Robin? Really? I’m Iron Man - I don’t need a Robin.” Tony snorts. Iron Man does perfectly well on his own - well, most of the time...except that time with Vanko, or Obie, or Loki… Okay so maybe he needs help sometimes but he doesn’t need a Robin.

  “You’re no fun.” The kid pouts dramatically.

  “That breaks my heart kid.” Tony drawls with a shake of his head.

  “Fine then, what will we do now.”

  “I am going to take you home and get you to bed before you pass out from exhaustion or something.”

  He can’t in good conscience keep dragging the boy everywhere. He’s already screwed up by taking him around town in the middle of the night only to get him caught up in a fight. The kid could’ve been killed and it would’ve been his fault.

  “I’m not tired.”

  “Sure you’re not.” He’s heard that more than once and never has it been true.

  “Don’t I get a choice?!” Harley stops moving just to glare at Tony.

  “Nope.”

  “You suck.”

  “I know, kid.”

  But despite that, he can just about see the boy smiling from the shadow of his hood.

  Surprisingly, Harley doesn’t put up a fight as Tony leads him back home and upstairs to his bedroom. He’d been expecting to meet some kind of resistance but the kid silently follows behind him. For once he doesn’t chatter and it feels strangely...empty. Off.

  “You okay, Sp - kid?” He bites down on his lip. This is not Peter. He’s just a doe-eyed kid. Someone else's son. No way is he going to let himself get attached. 

  Harley nods but doesn’t look up as he pushes open the nearest door to his bedroom.

  Tony won’t lie when he says the room is exactly what he’d been expecting. The walls are covered in splatterings of paint and oil - lots of which seem to predate Harley by at least thirty years. The carpet is stained and worn so there are patches that can’t even be called carpet anymore.

  Other than the small invention scattered about, there are absolutely no toys anywhere. Somehow he doubts that’s because Harley doesn’t want any. Without any decorations, the room is pretty sparse.

  There’s a bed in the corner of the room with some old blankets on it but the blankets have been arranged into a little bundle at the foot of the bed. Tony can still see the imprint of Harley in them. This must have been where he was before he came to find Tony in the garage. There’s an open book still lying beside it and a torch - although the torch has been turned off. 

  “You’re going to need to get into your pajamas this time.” The kid had been fully dressed when he came down and found Tony despite the time of day. Judging by the state of his bed, it was clear that sleep hadn’t been one of his top priorities. 

  “What’s the point, it’s practically morning now anyway.” Harley shrugs his shoulders, still looking down at his feet. 

  “It’s two, which means you can still get a few good hours of sleep in - you just need to have a lay in tomorrow.” Harley doesn’t make a move for the wardrobe so Tony goes over instead. Someones got to be the responsible one…

  “Whatever.”

  “Come on, get dressed kid.” He grabs the first set of pajamas he can find - an old set decorated with cars that is worn in patches so there are small holes, “I can’t leave here until I know you’re sleeping.” 

  “You going to watch me get dressed?” The kid smirks, finally looking up. 

  “Fine, fair point. My point still stands though.” He’s so used to Peter it’s easy to forget sometimes… He quickly chucks the set over to Harley who catches it despite his reluctance. 

  “How are you going to make me go to bed?”  
  “I’ll tie you down and leave you here if I have to. Tell me when you’re dressed.” Tony doesn’t give him a chance to argue as he darts out of the room before a word can leave the kid's mouth. Once he’s out he carefully closes the door, making as little noise as possible.

  Surprisingly, the door stays closed and Harley doesn’t start yelling at him. Now he just needs to hope the kid is actually getting ready.

  As he looks down the corridor, he counts three other rooms on this floor. The one that catches his eye the most is the one with a little pink sign on it. Rosie’s room. He remembered Harley mentioning his sister but he’d brushed it off at first. Now he thinks about it though, where is she? If she’s only four then she should be here asleep, right? But Harley had said he was home alone.

  Curiously, he walks down the hallway to the other bedroom and gently nudges the ajar door open. He doesn’t dare step into the room, instead he just takes a glance from the safety of the corridor. 

  It looks very different from Harley’s room. It’s slightly smaller but is nowhere near as sparse. There’s little cuddly toys arranged neatly on the floor - a considerable number of them. The bed covers are still messily arranged the same way they would be when you first woke up. A moment of time frozen.

  Despite the emptiness, it looks like it was lived in recently. There’s no dust on the shelves and there’s still a relatively fresh glass of milk on the bedside table. Then where is she… 

  “Tony?” Instantly Tony steps back, closing the door as he moves. As he does so Harley’s door opens and the kid steps out into the corridor in his pajamas. The material stops well above the ankles but he doesn’t seem all that bothered. It’s like the opposite of Peter, whose clothes are normally a little baggy. 

  “Come on, bedtime.” Tony smiles and heads towards the other room. As much as he’d like to know about Rosie, it would be insensitive to ask.

  Instead, he puts one hand on Harley’s shoulder and steers him back into his room and towards the bed. Although Harley rolls his eyes and shuffles along, he doesn’t try to shake off Tony’s hand. He even gets onto the bed without Tony having to tell him to. 

  “Night, kid.” Tony grabs a hold of the blanket and throws it over Harley, so it completely covers all of him - head and all. He has to hold back a smile as Harley sits up with a frown to tuck himself in.

  “You’re awful at this.” Harley shakes his head with a sigh.

  “At what?”

  “Being nice.”

  “Have you ever thought that maybe you’re the one that’s awful at it?” Harley shrugs with a very small smile playing across his lips.

  “What are you going to do now?” 

  “I need to fix up the suit a bit and do some research but I’ll leave as soon as I can. I’ll stay in the garage so I don’t give your Mom a heart attack.” As much as he hates having to burden this family any more, he really needs to sort this stuff out before he leaves. Besides, if he’s here then he can make sure no one tries to go after Harley because of their connection. Even if he’s just in the garage, it’s better than just leaving. 

  “Wait.” Harley stops him before he can turn to leave the room. There’s no hint of a smile anymore, just an empty, hollow look in the kid's eyes. What changed?

  “Yeah?”

  “You said you were like me when you were younger, right?” He bites his bottom lip and stares down at the palms of his hands, “Does it really get better?”

  “Sometimes it feels like it never will but eventually it does. These people might suck but eventually you’ll go to college and meet new people - people like you. You’re a good kid, I’m sure you’ll make lots of friends.” If he’d never met Rhodey or Mary he has no idea what kind of person he’d be. Same with Happy and Pepper and the others. This kid is better than he ever was so if Tony had the privilege to meet all these people, he has no doubt that Harley will too. 

  Without another word, Harley lays down in the bed, pulling the covers up to his neck so he’s completely cocooned in warm blankets. 

  “Take care.” Tony turns around and smiles over his shoulder. Harley stays still and silent he quietly walks over to the door, turning off the bedroom light. 

  “Do you ever have people you want to help but you can’t do anything…?” It’s almost too quiet to hear, but he does hear it.

  “Every day…” He doesn’t turn around this time, he just stands there in the doorway, unable to do anything. 

  There’s the quiet sound of Harley turning over in bed and then nothing. And so Tony leaves. 

 

  The words are still running through his head as he walks through the thick snow outside of the house to get to the garage.

  Every day there’s someone out there getting hurt because of his mistakes and his weapons and there’s nothing he can do. Nowadays it’s even worse - he can’t do anything without getting a panic attack or breaking down. Hell, he can’t even sleep in the same bed as his girlfriend, how is he supposed to help people?

  He can’t afford to sit here moping about things like this. He might not be a fantastic hero but there are still things he can do. He can fix this suit. And the next one. And the next one. As long as his hands and mind are busy, he can chase away the thoughts. He just needs to keep himself busy. Thankfully the worn, broken down suit is the perfect distraction right about now.

  “Let’s get a good look at you.” He sighs to himself. 

  Time passes as he carefully gets to work on fixing Iron Man. With every fix he pieces the hero back together. Fixes the useless, broken shell back into what it used to resemble.

  He’s so caught up in it he doesn’t even notice the footsteps behind him. Doesn’t notice Harley come and take a seat on the couch beside the suit. It’s not until Harley accidentally drops one of the pieces he was working on that he actually notices.

  “How long have you been here?” How the hell had he spaced out like that? When had he gotten used to having someone working alongside him?

  “About ten minutes. I was wondering why you hadn’t yelled at me for not being in bed…” Harley muses with a crooked smile. 

  “You should be in bed.”

  “I wasn’t tired.”

  “You’re definitely tired.”

  “I...I wanted to help you.” His cheeks flush bright red as he stares down at the broken piece of metal in his hands.

  As the only adult here he knows he should tell the kid to go back up to bed. But as he stares at the young boy he can’t help but see the same kids that used to play in Howards lab. The same lonely kid that made that stupid circuit board in the hopes of finally being noticed…

  “Here.” Tony gets up off of the seat, “If you’re going to fix the suit for me then you should at least sit at the table.”

  “Really?” Harleys eyes sparkle in the soft flickering light of the garage. 

  “Sure. I need to be doing some research anyway. You can fix the suit and I’ll sit on the couch and do some work.”

  “You’re not going to send me to bed?”

  “Would you go to sleep if I sent you up there?” Harley shakes his head, “Exactly. Besides you did good work earlier.”

  Harley still stays on the couch as if he’s completely frozen. 

  “Come on.” Tony nods over to the seat patiently. Instantly it’s like the spell is broken and Harley rushes over, still gripping the suit pieces he was working on, “Don’t screw up my suit.” Tony instinctively ruffles his hair as Harley hops up onto the seat. He doesn’t even notice what he’s done until he’s gone to sit down on the couch. Thankfully Harley doesn’t seem to have been phased at all though, completely engrossed in the task at hand. 

  It’s oddly peaceful as they work together. Harley is almost completely silent while he’s working, oblivious to everything else around him. There’s none of the chattering that he’s used to from working with Peter but that doesn’t bother him in the slightest. It definitely feels different to normal but it somehow feels just as natural. 

  With Harley sorting out the suit he can actually get to work on the Mandarin. The computer is hooked up to Harley’s surprisingly good satellite but it’s not doing much good. Without a place to start he’s got nothing. No way to even start.

  Once again he flicks through the file of papers Mrs. Davis had given him but there’s nothing. Nothing new at least. It feels like he’s staring something in the face but somehow can’t make heads or tails of it. Sighing, he chucks the papers onto the floor. As it falls, some of the papers come loose from their folder and gently flutter down to the ground. 

  “You okay?” Harley asks quietly. 

  “Yeah - just frustrated.” He sighs and slowly gets up off of the couch to go pick up all of the papers again.

  They’ve completely gotten out of order now, all back to front and mixed up. Just another thing he needs to sort out. As he stares down at the sheets the black letters MIA stand out to him. Much darker and bigger than everything else on the sheet. Bigger and, right now, backwards. One thing he’d never noticed was how, when you write MIA backwards, it spells out AIM. Something he hadn’t noticed until right now…

  “Well, damn…”

  “What is it?” Harley perks up, leaning towards Tony to try and see but Tony completely ignores him. Now he knows exactly what he needs to do.

  Instead of going back to the computer he grabs his phone, dialling up Rhodey. If he’s right about this then he might actually have his first lead.

  “Hello?” Rhodey’s muffled voice echoes through his phone.

  “You ever have a chick straddling you and you look up and suddenly she's glowing from the inside out, kind of a bright orange?”

  “Yeah, I've had that. Who is this?”

  “It's me, pal.” Wow, his own best friend doesn’t recognise his voice… ”Now, last time I went missing, if I remember correctly, you came looking for me. What are you doing?”

  “A little knock-and-talk, making friends in Pakistan. What are you doing?” Tony would love to see what’s happening on his side of the line right now. 

  “Your redesign, your big rebrand, that was AIM, right?”

  “Yeah.” Bingo. With Rhodey’s codes he should be able to find out more information on AIM which hopefully, if he’s really lucky, should be able to lead him to the Mandarin.

  “I need your login.”

  “It's the same as it's always been, _WarMachine68_.”

  “And password, please.”

  “Well, look, I gotta change it every time you hack in, Tony.” As much as he loves his friend, he really needs to learn actual terms. Besides, is it really hacking if Rhodey just gives him the login?

  “It's not the '80s, nobody says _hack_ any more. Give me your login.” Tony sighs. 

  “ _WAR MACHINE ROX_ with an X, all caps.” Tony can’t stop himself from laughing, not caring about what Rhodey says.

  “Yeah, okay.” Rhodey sighs.

  “That is so much better than lron Patriot.” 

  As soon as he hangs up, he goes and grabs the computer again booting up the same software he’d use back home. There’s a cable connected to the satellite and one to the suit and by extension J.A.R.V.I.S. Even when he’s broken, J.A.R.V.I.S is the best software on the planet. If anyone can help Tony hack military databases, it him. 

  It only takes a few minutes to get a link into AIM’s database - all their dirty secrets, his to look at. He’s fully aware that Halrey is just a few meters away from him but he starts loading up the videos anyway. Right now isn’t the time for worrying. If something really bad comes up he’ll send the kid away but for now, he might as well just see where things go. 

  The videos aren’t too bad - at least not audibly. It proves his fear though - Killian has teamed up with the Mandarin, selling his new Extremis project to the nut job. The same guy that had been talking to Pepper weeks ago. What the hell had he wanted with Pepper?!

  “Did you find something…” Harley mumbles curiously.

  “I think so...J.A.R.V.I.S try scanning for the Mandarins broadcasts again but factor in available AIM downlink facilities

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Woah! Is that an AI?” Harley gasps, almost dropping the piece he was working on.

  “Yes, my name is J.A.R.V.I.S, I help run the suit and all of Mr. Stark’s assets.”

  “You called your AI Jarvis?” Harley cocks his eyebrow and shakes his head.

  “Your parents called you Harley.” Tony says indignantly, “Anyway, you get any hits?” 

  “It seems the Mandarin is currently broadcasting from Miami.” J.A.R.V.I.S hums.

  “Are you sure that’s right?”

  “I’m quite certain.”

  “The Mandarin? Isn’t he -” Harley mumbles, his eyebrows knotted together.

  “Yeah...what the hell would he be doing in Miami?” He rubs his forehead. Nothing ever makes sense. How can this be right? Shouldn’t he be in the middle east or something? Something doesn’t quite add up...there’s definitely something more here.

  “Are you going to go after him?” Harley completely sets down his work and turns to face Tony. 

  “I don’t know...I don’t have my suit working. No matter what we do, I'll need more time to do anything. Time I don’t have…” He sighs and slumps down on the couch. After all this, he’s stuck here helplessly until he can fix the suit. Completely useless after all.

  “Really? You can’t do anything?”

  “Not without the suit.”

  “But you’re Tony Stark, the Mechanic! You’re a genius! I’ve been reading about you for as long as I can remember.”

  “Yet you didn’t recognise me when you found me in your garage?”

  “You find someone breaking into you house and using your stuff, you don’t expect it to be a superhero.” Harley shrugs, “Anyway - you built that suit in a cave right? If you built a suit back then, why can’t you build your way out of this situation too?”


	12. Terror (II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I chose split this chapter in two because it was four times over my word count target for all my chapters. Please tell me if you guys think I should always do this when a chapter goes over 30,000 words (or if maybe even less words). There was stuff I wanted to include in this chapter but the word count was way too high so I'll just put them in the next chapter instead.

   _Dad!_

 

  Peter sits awake suddenly, his body still falling even though he can feel the bed underneath him. A wide-open room is ahead of him and yet he can still feel the rocks pushing down on him, the ceiling threatening to collapse on him. 

  He needs Dad or Mom. Even Auntie Nat would be a welcome sight right now.

  Even just thinking about her brings the images back into his mind. The sight of her standing there closing the portal on Dad. They couldn’t even wait a few more seconds. They were just going to leave him there…

  Peter shakes his head, chasing those thoughts away. This isn’t the right time. He needs to figure out where he is. None of the walls or bed covers look familiar. A completely new place far away from any home he’s ever known.

  Soft yellow sheets are wrapped around him, tangling him and trapping him to keep him immobile. As he lies there his head sinks lower and lower into the huge, soft pillow. Slowly drowning him.

  “It’s Peter, right? I’m Maya.” A voice says quietly from the bed beside him.

  Instantly his head whips around, seeking out the source of the voice to find a woman lying beside him. The same one that had been in the mansion with them. 

   _Where’s Mom and Dad…_

  “Your Mom’s just gone out for a second to answer a call, she should be coming back any minute now.” The Maya’s voice sounds kind and gentle but something about her just doesn’t feel right so he stays completely silent. To his surprise, she doesn’t try to talk to him or anything, she just lays there quietly with her eyes closed.

  _But what about Dad...?_

  As much as he wants to get up and find his parents, he can’t bring himself to get out of bed. Every small movement makes his vision blurry and worsens the ringing in his head. For now, he’ll gather his strength until Mom gets back and they’ll figure out what to do from there.

  Although he lies back in the bed, he doesn’t dare close his eyes like Maya is doing. Something still doesn’t feel right - even if Dad had said she was okay. It’s fortunate that he doesn’t end up needing to wait long

  “Peter!” Mom drops the bag she’d been carrying and pulls Peter close to her, “Are you feeling okay?” Even though he still can’t see properly, he nods as gently as he can. 

  “What happened? I don’t...I don’t…” Nothing makes sense - it’s all messed up in his brain.

  “We were attacked and the house was destroyed - but we’re okay and that’s all that matters.” She carefully strokes his hair, smoothing out the knotted feeling in his stomach.

  “What about Dad?” He pulls away so he can look at her, but makes sure not pull away so far that she takes her hand off of his head.

  Her eyes flick over to the strange woman on the other bed for a second before replying.

  “He’s okay, he sent you a message. We’re going to find him and drag him back home so I can ground him for the next ten years.” She chuckles warmly as her fingers play with one of his curls. 

  “That’s a long time.” He tries to stop himself from smiling but he’s fairly sure it doesn’t work. 

  “Well, he’s really scared us so he deserves it.” The smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

  “Hey, Peter, do you mind doing a job for me?” The Maya lady pulls his attention away from Mom for a second. There’s a strange softness in her eyes that wasn’t there earlier but she’s looking at Mom, not him.

  “What job…?” He narrows his eyes but pulls away from Mom anyway.

  “I need you to go get some medicine from the bathroom for me. It’s in the cupboard so it might be a bit hard to reach. Do you think you can manage it?”

  “I think so…” It’s only to the bathroom...besides he wants to do something helpful. Anything. Even if everything feels a bit funny, he should be able to do this one thing. 

  “Thank you.” She smiles sadly. 

  Carefully, he slips his legs out of bed just enough for his feet to touch the soft carpet. His feet only just manage to brush the top of the carpet as his legs are too short to reach any further. It’s colder than he’d been expecting but other than that it actually feels nice. At least until he gets a better look at his legs. 

  His whole ankle is angry and slightly purple. The colour stretches all the way up his leg in small little blobs of colour. Bruises… Slowly things come back to him, the building had been collapsing...he’d fallen. He’d fallen and Dad had come and freed him. He’d come like he always does.

  “Are you okay, Peter? I can go get it if your leg hurts.” Mom bends down to his height and places one hand on his shoulder. Instantly, he shakes off the hand.

  “I’m fine - I can do it myself.” He sits up as straight as possible. He’s not weak or little. This is just walking over to the bathroom, he can do it.

  “Okay.” 

  Without another second of hesitation, he pushes himself completely off of the bed which forces himself onto his feet. The sudden jolt hurts for a second but the ache quickly fades. He can do it. He can.

  Before either of the adults can stop him, he dashes towards the bathroom and closed the door loudly. That way they can’t see him as he grips onto the edges of the sink. Can’t see his legs shake as he stands. 

   _Big boys can go to get stuff from the bathroom on their own._

  Despite himself, he stops to take a few deep breaths. Just until the fuzziness goes away. Just for a second, then he’ll do his job. 

  He’s so focused on breathing he doesn’t even notice when someone knocks on the door until he can hear Pepper opening it. Probably just one of the waiter people...he brushes it aside and reaches up on his tiptoes to open the cupboard.

  “Maya, run!” Mom scream rattles through him, making him lose his already weak balance from his tiptoes. He’s only just able to stop himself from falling over completely as his hands grip onto the edge of the sink. 

  Mom!

  He wants to go out there and help her. Wants to save her. But what can he do? He didn’t do anything to help last time, they managed to everything without him. He’s still only little - that’s what Aun...no, Nat, had said after the battle. He was too little to help. Everyone knew it. Although he was angry with her after what she’d almost done to Dad, she was right. She was always right...

  “Hi, Pepper.” A strange man drawls quietly. With the walls in the way, everything sounds muffled, even the voices.

  Peter has to clamp one hand over his mouth to make sure no one notices he’s there. It might be muffled but he’s still terrified. The sound of the heart beat in his ears must be loud enough to be heard. Each one sounds like an explosion in his brain. 

  “So, you want to tell me why you were at Stark's mansion last night?” The same man is talking but it doesn’t sound like he’s talking to Mom anymore. 

  “I'm trying to fix this thing. I didn't know you and the master were gonna blow the place up.” Maya! She did this! So why had she sent him here? It doesn’t make any sense, wasn’t she going to hurt him too? It certainly sounds like she’s hurting Mom. 

  “Oh, I see. So, you were trying to save Stark when he threatened us?”

  “I've told you, Killian, we can use him.” Although he can’t do anything to help, he makes sure to remember every word and every name. If he can’t help then maybe someone else can.

  “Pepper. Pepper. Pepper.”

  “Look, if we want to launch the product next year, I need Stark. He just lacked a decent incentive. Now, he has one.”

  “Fine...but don’t think we’re forgetting about this.” The voice is followed by a soft thud, “Tie her up, we’ll take her back to rig and dose her.” He sighs loudly.

  “We can’t just carry her out, someone will notice.”  
  “We’ll think of something, the more time we waste, the quicker she’ll wake up and cause a hassle. We -” There’s a slight pause before he continues. “Was someone else here?”

  “No, it was just the two of us. We came straight here from the house.” Maya lies. Why would she lie? Nothing makes sense anymore. Wasn’t she meant to be the bad guy? Wasn’t she supposed to be grabbing him too? Taking him away like Obie did. 

  “Whatever… It’s time to get out of here.”

  Peter quietly lets go of the sink and lowers himself onto the ground. Both his arms wrap around his bruised aching legs and hold them close to his chest. They make for a great way to hide his face until the sound of the other people has long since faded away. The darkness feels safe for the first time. 

  He just sits like that for what feels like hours. Frozen like a statue. Completely broken.

  When he does finally let go of his legs, he can’t feel anything except the cold of the tiles. He hadn’t even noticed how cold they were before and yet now the feeling of them on his skin makes him start shivering.

  Even though his legs are shaky and weak, he has to force himself out of the room just to get away from the cold. Anything to stop the shivering. He wraps his arms around his chest this time, making himself even smaller. He only frees his arm for a few seconds so he can open the door and stumble into the other room. Into the emptiness.

  Although he tries to distract himself, there’s no hiding from the emptiness. From the fact, the only person here is the waiter man asleep on the floor. From the fact that Mom is nowhere.

  Somehow, even though he’s moved away from the tiles and back onto the carpet his body won’t stop shivering. No amount of warmth can chase it away.

  Stumbling he heads towards the door and the bag Mom dropped as she came in earlier. Her phone must be in there, she always keeps it in her bag. If he can just reach it… His legs give way but he doesn’t let that stop him, he just crawls along the floor instead.

  Tears prick his eyes but he quickly blinks them away. The faster he blinks, the faster they come. It’s an endless uphill battle. By the time he manages to grab the phone, his sight is completely blurred over - and not because of his own head this time. 

  His finger hovers over Dad’s number but he stops himself before he presses it. As much as he wants to call Dad right now, he knows there will be no answer. If Dad could call he would have, wouldn’t he? 

  No, he knows who he needs to call. As much as it hurts, he presses the number.

  “Hello? Pepper?” He only has to wait a few seconds for the response.

  “Auntie Nat…” He tries to put on a brave face but the tears keep falling, “I need your help.”

~~~

  When Tony wakes up, everything hurts.

  What the hell happened…? He remembers leaving Harleys - they’d spent all night working on gadgets together. Things to get him through the battle to come. Nothing too high spec - all made with the old junk the kid had managed to scavenge. 

  And then...the Mandarin. He’d gotten there but it was all for nothing. A fake. Something for Killian to hide behind. A mask. Nothing more.

  After that, everything goes completely fuzzy. He must have been grabbed by someone.

  Deliriously, he tries to pull his hand free from whatever's restraining it but it’s no good. Metal handcuffs clink against the bed frame he’s been tied to. Certainly not a first...although the bed has never been upright before. This way he’s still standing upright and is able to look around at Killian's dank dungeon. He’s certainly not an interior decorator.

  “Ah...okay…”

  His vision is still slightly blurry but not blurry enough to disguise his captors face as she turns around to look at him. Maya...of course. This is why he has trust issues... 

  “It's just like old times, huh?” She spins around in her chair so she’s facing him. 

  “Oh, yeah. With zip ties. It's a ball.” He can’t bring himself to look at her.

  She’d seen Peter. She’d come into his home and found out about his son only to go back and report to Killian. How could Tony have told Pepper to help her? How could he have left his family with her? 

  “It wasn't my idea.” She almost sounds apologetic - if it wasn’t for the soft smile on her face.

  “Okay. So you took Killian's card.”

  “I took his money.”

  “And here you are 13 years later, in a dungeon.” 

  “No.”

  “Yeah.”

  “No, you're in a dungeon. I'm free to go.” As free as she might seem, something just doesn’t feel right. The look in her eyes… It’s not just him that is a prisoner here - even if he is the only one tied up. 

  “Yeah?”

  She finally gets up from her chair and makes her way towards him. Her face is still cut up from the explosion but it's nowhere near as bad as it had looked in the midst of the action. Pepper should have left her to drown. 

  “A lot has happened, Tony. But I'm close. Extremis is practically stabilised.” Although she’s smiling as she speaks, he can sense her desperation.

  In a last pathetic attempt, he tugs on the zip ties again, hoping for some kind of leeway, but it holds fast. 

  “I'm telling you it isn't. I'm on the street. People are going bang. They're painting the walls. Maya, you're kidding yourself.” He pleads with her. How can she not see this? How does she not realise this is wrong? Everything about this is wrong. 

  “Then help me fix it.” She begs him, holding up a name tag from years ago. His name tag - no one else would write _You Know Who I Am on_ the tag. As he watches, she turns the tag around to reveal Tony’s scrawls on the back. Equations and formulas.

  “Did I do that?”

  “Yes.”

  “I remember the night, not the morning. Is this what you've been chasing around?” All of this because he half solved an equation while he was hungover years ago.  

  “You don't remember?”

  “I can't help you. You used to have a moral psychology. You used to have ideals. You wanted to help people. Now look at you. I get to wake up every morning with someone who still has their soul.” She’s nothing like the person he thought she was. Although he might not fully remember everything that happened, he remembers her passion. Her genuine desire to help the world. That was probably why he chose to help her out a little. He’d thought her heart was in the right place.

  She pauses for a second, watching him with sad empty eyes. _Maybe it still is..._

  “Get me out of here. Come on.” He pleads with those empty eyes, searching for some kind of regret or kindness.

  He’ll never know if she would have helped because none other than Killian steps through the door at that moment. 

  “You know what my old man used to say to me?” He taunts smugly, sauntering into the room as slowly as possible.

  Instantly Maya backs off, tucking the tag back into her pocket. She stays completely silent, slipping into the shadows like a well-trained dog. A prisoner...

  “One of his favourite of many sayings… ‘ _The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese’_.” He saunters over and drops off his briefcase amongst the high tech equipment that looks completely out of place in the rundown dungeon.

  “You're not still pissed off about the Switzerland thing, are you?”

  Slowly, Killian moves towards him. Getting closer and closer - completely ignore the concept of personal space - until his slimy face is right in front of Tony. Blocking everything else out.

  “How can I be pissed at you, Tony? I'm here to thank you. You gave me the greatest gift

that anybody's ever given me. Desperation. If you think back to Switzerland, you said you'd meet me on the rooftop, right? Well, for the first 20 minutes, I actually thought you'd show up. And the next hour… I considered taking that one-step shortcut to the lobby. If you know what I mean.”

  “Honestly, I'm still trying to figure out what happened to the first mouse.” He quips, trying not to think about Killians words. 

  He’s not an idiot, he knows he’s made a lot of bad choices in his life, and those choices had consequences. He doesn’t want to picture the younger, starry-eyed Killian on that rooftop. Doesn’t want to imagine what could have happened. 

  “But as I looked out over that city, nobody knew I was there, nobody could see me, no one was even looking. I had a thought that would guide me for years to come. Anonymity, Tony. Thanks to you, it's been my mantra ever since. Right? You simply rule from behind the scenes. Because the second you give evil a face, a bin Laden, a Gaddafi, a Mandarin, you hand the people a target.”

  “You're something else.” Any pity Tony once might have had for him, is gone. He’s completely insane. People have been let down before - have been ignored - and they never turned to villainy. Never became murderers or terrorists. 

  “You have met him, I assume?”

  “Yes. Sir Laurence Oblivier.”

  “I know he's a little over the top sometimes. It's not entirely my fault. He has a tenden…he's a stage actor. They say his Lear was the toast of Croydon, wherever that is. Anyway, the point is,

ever since that big dude with the hammer fell out of the sky, subtlety has kind of had its day.” What is it with people blaming Thor for their delusions? Everyone nowadays thinks they can do something evil and just say they did it because of Thor. Why won’t people just take credit for their own sick actions?

  “What's next for you in your world?”

  “Well, I wanted to repay you the selfsame gift that you so graciously imparted to me. Desperation. The one person you love in this world…” Tony stomach drops right out of his body. 

  Maya must have told him about Peter. Sure, he might just be a kid but this lunatic wouldn’t care.

  The sudden desperation must show as Killian breaks out into a huge grin. He takes his time grabbing three small orbs and throwing them across the ground. Hologram projectors. 

  Piece by piece the image of Pepper builds itself up in the middle of the room. She’s restrained, her skin glowing red like embers. Red like those other victims. The ones that exploded and died. 

  His body feels like gagging. Throwing up everything right onto Killian's stupid face. Even through the hologram, he can see the pain in Pepper’s face. The agony. 

  As glad he is that it’s not Peter, he doesn’t feel anything close to relief. Because Pepper is there in agony because of his failures. Because he screwed up. If she dies, this is on him. 

  Killian just keeps talking and the hologram just keeps playing. He has to tear his eyes away and stare at Maya just to try and get the image out of his head.

  Killian wouldn’t have passed up on doing this to Peter too. He wouldn’t have hesitated. Sure enough, Maya looks away instantly, her eyes closed to hide the tears in her eyes. He was right, there’s still something good left in her. Somewhere.

  “Now, this is live. I'm not sure if you can tell, but at this moment the body is trying to decide whether to accept Extremis or just give up. And if it gives up, I have to say, the detonation is quite spectacular. But until that point, it's really just a lot of pain.” Tears sting his eyes, sharp and painful like needles. The tears mingle with the sticky blood that is still plastered on his face.

  Finally, Killian shuts off the hologram, taking away the image of Pepper. Part of him is thankful, but the other part needs to see her - if only to know she hasn’t exploded yet. 

  “We haven't even talked salary yet. What kind of perk package are you thinking of?” Killian’s hand wraps around his throat, squeezing as hard as he can. Still Tony refuses to react. He won’t let a guy like Killian see the pain. He doesn’t deserve it. 

  As Tony stares right back at Killian, he notices the man’s eyes. A burning red light sears through his pupils, so it looks like he's burning from the inside. All of his skin glows too - a bright fire raging underneath his skin. He took the drug himself. He couldn’t just make it, he needed to have the power himself. If only it had burned through him like it burnt through the others.

  “Let him go,” Maya yells - snapping Killian out of his little delusion. She’s pulling her hair back over one shoulder, holding a small needle at her neck. 

  “Hold on, hold on. Maya…” Clenching his jaw, Killian lets go of Tony’s neck and turns around to face the woman.

  “I said, let him go.” She pushes the needle even closer to her jugular. 

  “What are you doing?”

  “1200 CCs. A dose half of this size, I'm dead.” Her hands shake slightly but she holds still and strong. 

  “It's times like this my temper is tested somewhat.” Killian turns and speaks to Tony. Despite his pristine suit and hair, it’s impossible to hide the burning rage. “Maya, give me the injector.”

  “If I die, Killian, what happens to your soldiers? What happens to your product?” It’s a dangerous game but it could succeed...if Killian wasn’t completely insane.

  “We're not doing this, okay?” Every time he steps towards her, she takes a step backwards. Slowly driving her deeper and deeper into the shadows. Backing her up to a wall. 

  “What happens to you? What happens if you go too hot?” 

  Slowly, Killian turns to Tony again, his eyes burning red. As much as he hated Maya for letting Pepper get taken, she’s not evil. She’s not Killian. She doesn’t deserve what’s coming. 

  Despite seeing it from a mile off, he flinches as the gun goes off in Killian's hand. The bullet buries itself in her stomach, causing her to drop to the ground. Those empty, lost eyes find Tony’s - this time filled with tears. Her fingers claw at the ground weakly, dragging her slowly to her death. Into the darkness. 

  “The good news is, a high-level position has just been vacated.”

  “You are a maniac.” The insult comes out weak. He has to fight the tremble in his voice. 

  “No, I'm a visionary. But I do own a maniac. And he takes the stage tonight.” Killian's voice gets further and further away but Tony still won’t open his eyes. Not when all that is left to see is the dying body of a woman he once new. A woman who tried to do something. 

  Eventually, people come in to drag away the body, leaving a trail of blood behind them. She won’t get a funeral. Her family - if she has any - won’t get to say goodbye to her. She’s just another unmarked grave. Another one he has to carry with him.

  Guards come in to watch him but he stays completely still and quiet. Neither of them pay him much attention - more focused on themselves. One is sat right in front of Tony, and the other in the spot where Maya died.

  Out of nowhere, Rosie’s Dora the Explorer watch starts beeping. The suit. He’d almost forgotten. It’s a long way from Tennessee to Miami - the furthest he’s ever had to call the suit - but it’s not too far. Any second now…

  The guard in front of him grabs a hold of the watch and inspects it - probably looking for some kind of off button.

  “Careful, there. It's a limited edition.” The man completely ignores him, shaking the watch violently.

  “Hey, uh, Ponytail Express.” Tony turns to address the other man who has stood up and moved closer to Tony. “What's the mileage count between Tennessee and Miami?”

  “832 miles.”

  “Very nice.” Definitely the furthest he’s summoned the suit so far.

  “Can you, uh, stop that?” The ponytailed guard nods to the watch. Both of them now stand side by side, blindly searching for the button. 

  “Break it, you bought it.” Despite Tony’s words, the man drops the watch onto the ground, grinding into the floor with the sole of his shoe. Well, let’s hope Rosie doesn’t miss it too much - he’d was planning on returning it once all of this was over. 

  “I think I bought it.” The guy smirks like he’s the smartest guy in the room. _Idiot_...

  “Okay, that wasn't mine to give away. That belongs to my friend's sister. And that's why I'm gonna kill you first.”

  “What are you gonna do to me?”

  “You'll see.”

  “You're zip-tied to a bed.” God, he’s looking forward to getting rid of this guy.

  “This.” He stretches out his palms, ready for the suit to attach on - but nothing happens. “That.” Still nothing… Great, now he looks like an idiot.

  “Trust me, you're gonna be in a puddle of blood on the ground in five, four, three…Come on! Two…” Absolutely nothing comes. Did something go wrong with the suit? 

  “How did we get this shift?” The guards laugh calmly.

  “All right, I'm gonna give you a chance to escape. Put down your weapons. Tie yourselves to those chairs. I'll let you live.” They’re still smiling without a care in the world. “In five, four, bang!”

  “Ooh!”

  “Wow. That was…” Do these guys not care at all about who they’re guarding? If he was guarding himself he’d be a little more cautious. He’s not Iron Man for nothing and they’re going to regret being so nonchalant. 

  “You should be gone by now. You should've already been gone.”

  “I am just beyond terrified.” One of them chuckles.

  “Here it comes. Three, four...Five, four, three, two, one!” He barely has time to brace himself as a piece of the suit crashes through the window, attaching itself onto his hand. “Told you.”

  Before they have time to react, he shoots the repulsor at them and pulls himself free from the bedpost. Now he has a metal fist and repulsor at least - better than nothing. 

  Another leg piece arrives, attaching itself onto his foot just in time for him to kick the guy across the room. 

  “Where's the rest?” There should definitely be more by now… Well, for now, the one hand and leg will have to do as reinforcements arrive. 

  In one hand he holds a gun, and the other is outstretches, the repulsor ready to fire. With the new artillery it doesn’t take long to take down all the reinforcements too - clearing the way for his escape.

  It’s only when he’s finished fighting and is leaving the building that the rest of the suit finally arrives. 

  “Ah! Better late than never.” As the faceplate gets closer and closer he holds out one hand to catch it. “Not this time. Not the face.” Right before it hits his face he grabs ahold of it, clicking it into place himself, “Phew! It's good to be back. Hello, by the way.”

  J.A.R.V.I.S’s programs flicker across the screen one by one. God, it is good to be back. He’s never missed J.A.R.V.I.S this much before.

  “Oh, hello, sir.” J.A.R.V.I.S greets him enthusiastically. 

  Above him, he can hear helicopters flying. All the trees are being blown backwards from the force of the wind - leaves scattering everywhere. Curiously, he zooms in on the other projectile flying through the sky - the thing that the helicopter is following. As he zooms in closer and closer, it becomes crystal clear what it is.

  “The Iron Patriot…” But that means… He really hopes Rhodey was the one flying it - because if not…

  Regardless of who’s in it - he needs to follow after the helicopter right now. It might be the only way of getting to Pepper before she dies. 

  “Let’s go!” He positions himself in the flight position but nothing happens, there’s a slight sputtering but nothing else. “Oh crap…”

  Well, the old fashioned way it is… It’s more difficult than he remembers going do the stairs in the suit - although the state of the suit probably isn’t helping. If he wants to be able to do anything then he’s going to need to find some way to charge it and he thinks he knows exactly how to do it…

  A strange number appears on the screen as he starts heading back towards the main building. Even though it’s unfamiliar he answers anyway - you never know who might be calling. 

  “Tony!” He’d recognise that voice anywhere. At least he knows his friend isn’t dead. He must have grabbed one of the guards phones or something. 

  “Rhodey, please tell me that was you in the suit.” He already knows what the answer is but he can still hope. 

  “No, you got yours?”

  “Ummm...kind of.” It’s definitely not the suit he would have chosen to have for this situation but what choice does he have? It’s not like there was an option. Besides, when have things ever been easy? “I need you to get here as quick as you can. There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

  He hangs up instantly, speeding up to try and get to ‘ _the Mandarin_ ’ as quickly as possible. Now he’ll have backup at least which is better than nothing - especially since every guard on the premises is after him.

  Somehow he manages to get to the main building before the rest of the guards. There’s no one there to stop him as he walks right into the building. The scantily clad women don’t even blink an eye, busying themselves with ping pong while Trevor sleeps. Without anyone stopping him, he walks right into the back room and grabs a huge battery pack from the side. It’s a little fiddly to attach it to the suit but as soon as it's hooked up he can see the battery levels start to increase. 

  He’s barely started charging when two of the goons burst into the other room, guns raised. They walk right past the room he’s in and start ordering the women around. Despite the energy level, he grabs a hold of the battery with one arm and picks up and ping pong paddle with the other, stepping out into the other room.   

  “What's this? I had winners.” Sure enough, the element of surprise catches them off guard. It takes them too long to react to Tony, fumbling with their guns. By the time they’ve figured out what’s going on, Rhodey smashes through the window guns blazing, taking down both men.

  “What have you come as?” Trevor stares at both of them, casually sipping his beer. 

  Before Tony can explain the situation, Rhodey storms towards the ‘Mandarin’, gun raised. One of his feet settles on the chair right beside the drunken Mandarins head, pushing the chair back so he can aim the gun better. 

  “You make a move, and I break your face,” Rhodey growls.

  “I never thought people had been hurt. They lied to me.” Trevor stares up the barrel of the gun, his eyes meeting Rhodeys. His considerably calmer than Tony expected he would be with a gun pressed in front of his face. Although to be honest, who knows what state of mind he’s in right now.

  “This is the Mandarin?” Rhodey keeps the gun in place but turns to look at Tony, wide-eyed. 

  “Yeah, I know, it's…it's embarrassing.”

  “Hi, Trevor. Trevor Slattery.” Trevor holds one hand out towards Rhodey but he slaps it away, “I know I'm shorter in person. A bit smaller. Everyone says that. But, um, hey, if you're here to arrest me, there's some people I'd like to roll on.” The man just keeps on talking, ignoring the gun that’s pointed right at him to talk to Tony.

  “Here's how it works, Meryl Streep. You tell him where Pepper is and he'll stop doing it.”

  “Doing what?” Instantly, Rhodey bends down and grabs a hold of Trevor’s ear, tugging it with all his strength, “Ow! I get it! Ow! That hurt. I get it! I get it! I don't know about any Pepper, but I know about the plan.”

  “Spill.”

  “Do you know what they did to my suit?”

  “What? No. But I do know it's happening off the coast. Something to do with a big boat. I can take you there.” Before either of them can respond, he starts yelling at the soccer on the TV as if he was the only one in the room, “Ole', ole', ole', ole'...”

  “Tony, I swear to God, I'm gonna blow his face off.”

  “Oh, and this next bit may include the vice president as well. Is that...Is that important?” Trevor stares up at them, completely oblivious to everything. Honestly, Tony is surprised he’s able to play the Mandarin so well - the guy is a complete and utter moron.

  “Somewhat.” 

  “Yeah, a little bit.”

  Instead of continuing to listen to Trevor, Tony nods to Rhodey, beckoning him over. The guy is too dumb to get away, even if they’re not pointing a gun at him. Rhodey seems to agree as he lowers the gun and comes over to Tony’s side. 

  “So?”

  “What are we gonna do? I mean, we don't have any transport.” Rhodey whispers, although Trevor can probably still hear them. However, judging by the can of beer he just opened, he couldn’t care less what Tony and Rhodey are talking about. 

  “Hey, Ringo.”

  “Didn't you say something about a ‘lovely speedboat’?” Tony remembers the conversation they’d had when he first arrived at the mansion. Trevor had been talking about all the things Killian gave him, including a speed boat. 

  “Sure - there’s one out the back. But -”

  “Tony, we don’t know how far away we are. A speed boat might not be enough.” Rhodey steps in between Tony and Trevor, keeping one eye on Trevor the whole time. 

  “Where is this place then, how far away?”

  “Not too far - it’s just a little way down the coast - an abandoned oil rig.” Of course, they’d have a secret plan involving the vice president, a super-suit, an oil rig and an army exploding minions - why wouldn’t they?

  “Oil rig...I think I know that place…It can’t be more than 30 minutes away - probably less.” Rhodey nods slowly. 

  “If that’s where they’re keeping Pepper we can definitely get there to help her in time.” Thirty minutes is nothing. They can get in there and get her back somewhere safe to fix her without too much hassle. 

  “But Tony, what about the Vice President? We can’t just go off to whatever this place is without  dealing with the threat!” Rhodey hisses but he doesn’t care. Pepper could be dying right now and he’s doing nothing. 

  “Pepper could die.” He clenches his jaw. Why can’t Rhodey see how badly they need to help Pepper?

  “So could the Vice President. I know you want to help Pepper but we can’t do help both of them.” 

  “Sir, I do believe you’ve got a call.” J.A.R.V.I.S interrupts the conversation.

  “Who is it?” He lowers the faceplate, letting the pop-ups fill his vision.

  “Miss. Romanoff.” Sure enough, Natasha’s little icon is visible in the bottom corner. Why the hell would she be calling now? If she was worried she would have called hours ago. He’d assumed Fury had sent her and Barton off on a mission or something. 

  “Miss. Romanoff. To what do I owe this pleasure?” 

  “I got a call from Peter - he told me Pepper had been taken by someone called Killian.” Peter had been there when Killian came. Subconsciously he wonders whether Maya had played some role in making sure Killian didn’t notice he was there. 

  “Is he okay? Where is he?”

  “He’s fine - he said he was at a hotel near the mansion. Pepper had taken him there after the missile attack. Barton was the closest so he’s headed there now.” 

  “Good...good.” At least someone will be with him now. He must have been alone for hours now. He doesn’t even want to think about how scared he must have been. 

  “What’s the situation? Do you need backup? Rogers is still on his road trip but Banner and I are here.” He’d almost forgotten about Banner who was still up at the Stark Tower. What must he have been thinking seeing everything going down on the news? 

  “Rhodey and I are headed over to an abandoned oil rig off the coast of Miami now. Killian’s got Pepper there. But apparently something’s going down with the Vice President - we’re not sure what yet but it probably involves the Iron Patriot suit which was just taken from Rhodey.” If Natasha can deal with this then him and Rhodey can focus on Pepper - after all, they’re closer to her than the Vice President right now. If anyone can stop this plan then it’ll be Natasha. He’s sure of it. 

  “Got it. Make sure you get Pepper back and we’ll deal with the rest.” 

  “Thank you.”

  “What are friends for?” He can hear her smiling right before the connection cuts off. It’s strange having backup. Of course, he had backup in New York and has always had Rhodey to pull his arse out of the fire but this feels different. Like maybe they actually have a team instead of a time bomb. 

  “Natasha and Bruce are going to deal with the Vice President. We can go straight for the oil rig.”

  “Are you sure Tony?” 

  “I’m sure. They’ll be able to handle it.” There’s no doubt in his mind. Natasha will do just as well as he would be able to - if not better. 

  “Okay then - so what’s the plan?”

  “J.A.R.V.I.S?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “What’s the status on the other suits?” If he can get some more suits out here as back up they won’t be completely outnumbered. They’ll have an army of suits all ready to take out this hot-headed fuckers. 

  “My connection to the mansion is weak however from what I can tell the workers have finally removed all the debris blocking the suits off. They’re all ready to go.”

  “What about the suit I’m wearing?”

  “The armour is currently at 92%” Ideally they’d go all the way to 100% but the world isn’t ideal. You just have to take what you can get. 

  “Okay, that’s going to have to do.” He pulls the cables out of the suit, dropping the battery on the ground, “We’re going to go get ourselves a speed boat.”

~~~

It’s so quiet. Everything is quiet. When things are quiet time seems to go really super slow. Peter sits there in the hotel room, curled up and small. Normally he’d go and turn on the TV but he doesn’t dare. What if someone hears the TV and comes in? Even when he was talking to Auntie Nat on the phone he only whispered. 

  “Peter, Clint is going to come and get you so stay where you are.” Her words echo through his head now. Although he knows that he should just do as she says, every second here feels dangerous. If he could just get home...then maybe he’d feel safer. He could leave a note here for Clint - that way he’d know where to find Peter. 

  Cautiously, he uncurls and stands up straight. Step by step, he creeps through the room towards the little desk on the other side of the room. Mom’s notebook and pencil are still there, sitting on the desk untouched. He’s never been the best writer in his class but he scribbles down a little note anyway - something for Clint when he comes here. 

  When they’d first gotten here Mom must’ve taken off his shoes and jumper, setting them down at the foot of his bed. It’s getting closer and closer to night now - the sun slowly setting on the other side of the window. That means it’s going to get cold, he just hopes that the jumper is enough to keep him warm.

  As scary as the outside is right now, he knows that if he wants to get back home then he’ll need to go outside. He has to be brave. Braver than he has been so far. Besides, no one has come here for a few hours now which probably means he’s okay...right? Everyone has gone away.

  Still staying quiet, he slips on the shoes and jumper and opens the hotel door. Sure enough, from the outside he recognises the hotel. It’s the same one he drives past whenever him and Dad go out in the car. You have to pass it to get to and from the mansion. It’s right on the one road that leads to home. It takes a while to walk but at least he knows where he is. He knows how to get home.

  A newfound confidence surges through him. He tugs the jumper tighter around him, standing up tall and strong. _Walk like you belong_ \- the first tip Auntie Nat had given him. So that’s what he does now. He walks tall and fast like he belongs here. Like he’s not lost and alone and scared. He walks just like Dad. 

  For the first few minutes, it’s all okay. There’s no one around to notice him or stop him and the adrenaline is running through him. But slowly that adrenaline drains away, just like the sunlight. It leaks out of the sun and spills across the surface of the sea to his left.

  With every drop of sun that spills, it gets colder and colder. He tries to pull the jumper closer but it doesn’t do any good. He’s still cold. It’s so cold he can see the breath in front of him. Every time he breathes he pictures it as dragon smoke, just like Shuri always says. The thought helps him relax a little. Something familiar to think about. 

  When they drive the cars all of this seems to be much shorter. The road is over and done with before he knows it but now it just lasts forever. Even now he can’t see the end. It’s just more and more road with every step he takes. And every step is smaller than the last as he struggles to keep pushing forward.

  There’s a part of him that wants to stop trying - to curl up beside the road and wait for Clint to inevitably come down the road and shout at him - but he doesn’t. He just keeps going. The image of home crumbling all around keeps coming into his mind. All those memories falling away into the sea. Dad falling away into the sea. He has to go back now - just to see what is left. What wasn’t destroyed?

  He doesn’t know when the endless road ahead is finally replaced with the broken image of home. He’d long since stopped looking ahead, focusing only on the ground underfoot. He doesn’t even notice until the road fades into gravel under his feet. As soon as he notices, his head snaps up, drinking in the sight.

  It certainly doesn’t look like home. The front has been completely ripped off - all the insides exposed and leaking out. All of it has been swallowed up by the sea which is still attacking the cliff face below.

  Even the other side looks different, covered in big cranes and building machinery. Huge chunks of the house have been dumped into the skips beside the machinery, waiting to be taken away. It’s so strange to see those walls he knows so well, torn up and thrown away like rubbish. 

  There must have been lots of people here during the day but they seem to have mostly gone now. He can only see a few people dotted around but they don’t seem to be doing much anymore.

  Making sure to stay out of sight, he sticks to the edge of the property. All of them are right by the front of the house so he moves towards the lab entrance instead. That entrance was the one he usually used anyway - they only ever went in through the front when they were with Mom. 

  No one pays him any notice as he sneaks through the shadows towards the entrance, his heart pounding at a trillion miles per hour. His bright red hoodie doesn’t help him blend in but it’s too cold to take off so he decides to keep it and hope for the best.

  They must not notice as no one makes a move to stop him, leaving the lab completely open. Even though they haven’t noticed so far, he doesn’t want to take any more chances so makes a run for the entrance as soon as he’s far enough away from the other people. The sooner he gets into the lab the better.

  He’s not really sure what he’s expecting, given the condition of the mansion from the outside, but he’s shocked to see the destruction all around him. There’s a huge hole in the ceiling - the same one he remembers falling through. Half of the wall has completely fallen away which means it’s just as cold in the lab as it had been outside. Even so, he lets his arms fall to his sides and the hoodie hang loose.

  Lots of debris has been cleared away but there’s still tons of dust all over the floor. All of his things are covered in a thick layer of dust and dirt to the point where they’re almost unrecognisable. Even his drawings on the wall have been torn to shreds. Somehow it’s nothing like he’d been expecting. In his head, he’d still been picturing the home he once had. A home and not this broken shell. 

  As he stands there in the quiet, he notices a very faint beeping. It’s almost inaudible - something that’s easy to brush off as the wind or something off in the distance but he recognises it. It’s the alert noise for the Iron Man suit, but which suit is making it?

  Curiously, he walks over to Dad’s desk, reaching for the button to open up the Iron Man suit storage unit. Despite the destruction, it opens with ease, exposing the suits deep below. As he watches they all rise upwards to his level. The sound is now louder but he still can’t tell which it’s from, none of them seem to be the right suit...but these are all the suits - aren’t they?

  He steps closer to the suits and peers down into the storage unit. The sound is coming from somewhere down there. As carefully as he can, he lowers himself down into the area, looking around at everything.

  Sure enough, there’s one suit still hidden down there. Completely tucked away from everything else. It’s smaller than the other suits, much smaller. In fact, as he stands in front of it, there’s no denying that it’s his size. A suit made specifically for him. The light inside the helmet flashes in time with the beeping noise. Why would there be a message sent to this suit? Was this the message Mom was talking about earlier?

  Not wanting to break the suit, he carefully takes the helmet and puts it on. Obviously it fits perfectly unlike all the other helmets he’s tried on before. It’s strange to have it fit so perfectly. To have something made specifically for him. 

  “There is one new message.” J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice comes through the helmet along with projected text on the screen in front of him. “Message: Pepper, Peter...it's me.” Even though he’d assumed it would be from Dad, the sound of his voice almost brings Peter to tears. He’s okay. He’s okay. He didn’t die in the sea.

  “I've got a lot of apologies to make and not a lot of time. So first off, I'm so sorry I put you in harm's way. That was selfish and stupid and it won't happen again. I should have thought about you both. It’s my job to protect you and I majorly screwed that up - again. And I'm sorry in advance because...I can't come home yet. I need to find this guy. I have to find him to keep you both safe. He’s already hurt one person I love and I’m not letting that happen again. I can’t.” Dad pauses for a second, his breath rattling through the helmet. Even just the sound of his breathing soothes Peter because if his Dad is okay then everything else will be okay.

  “Peter...I promise you I’ll be home for Christmas - just like every year. I’ll make it up to you then. Maybe we can finally go and take the training wheels off of your bike. Everything will be okay. I promise.” The sound suddenly cuts off leaving him in silence.

  Despite the silence, he keeps the helmet on anyway. It feels safe and warm compared to everything else that’s left of the mansion. His eyes zero in on the rest of the suit sitting there on the stand. He was never supposed to even see this suit so he knows he should just leave now but since he’s already seen it now...what would be the harm in just trying it on? Just once….

  “J.A.R.V.I.S? Can you hear me?” He whispers into the helmet but there’s no response. For the first time J.A.R.V.I.S doesn’t reply. Was he not fully added into the suit yet? It’s strange to see a suit that doesn’t have J.A.R.V.I.S properly in it yet.

  Curiously, he places his hand on the chest plate of the suit, feeling the cold metal against his skin. As soon as he touches the metal, it snaps open. The empty suit sits in front of him, just asking to be used. 

  Without giving himself a second to change his mind, he steps forward into the suit, letting it close around him. He should be feeling trapped but he doesn’t. Is this how Dad feels in the suit? It’s not quite what he’d imagined - it’s freeing and restrictive at the same time...

  He’s just about to get out when the suit locks up completely. He can’t even move his body now. It’s moved into the same flight position Dad’s suit uses. It’s not just his suit, he can hear the other suits powering up around him. What’s happening to the suits and why is it happening to his even though J.A.R.V.I.S isn’t fully in his suit?

  Although he tries to struggle for a few seconds he’s soon way too high up in the sky to get out of the suit. Even if he could, he’d instantly fall to the ground and die. He’s completely trapped. There’s no option other than to just allow the suits to guide him to wherever it is they’re going.

  He’d always wanted to be able to fly but it still doesn’t quite feel real. Although he might not be controlling it, he can still see the world going by around him. Beneath him, the buildings have faded into small lights in the inky blackness.

  It’s kinda like riding a rollercoaster and flying in a plane at the same time. His stomach has no idea what direction is what as the suit twists and turns through the sky. As scary as it is to not have control, it’s definitely amazing. 

  Being so high up is oddly peaceful. So much so, he can almost forget the situation as he soars through the sky. He has no clue how far the suit takes jim but they’re soaring past cities at incredible speeds.

  When the suits finally do come to a stop he has no idea what to expect. The suits just hover there in the sky, unmoving. He leans forward in the suit and strains to see what’s going on. From this height, all he can see is a huge metal structure floating in the sea. He’s still straining when the suits finally start moving, launching him into battle.

  Honestly, he can’t keep up with everything that’s going on. All of the suits move at breakneck speed, diving between battles elegantly. There don’t seem to be too many baddies but they tear through the suits easier than any baddie he’s ever seen before. Normally the suits seem almost indestructible but now they’re going down one by one. Every suit that him and Dad worked on, gone. 

  Unlike the others, his suit sticks away from the fights. It doesn’t have any of the fancy repulsors or gadgets than the others have so it’s not much use in battle. That’s why he’s surprised when one of the guys clambers up onto the scaffolding in front of him. 

  His skin glows orange - kinda like fire embers - and his eyes are like a fire in the night. He doesn’t hesitate to launch himself towards the suit, teeth bared. One of his burning hands lands on the suits chest plate, heating up the metal until it’s singeing his skin below.

  By default, the suit instantly opens up and releases Peter out into the open night. The man who had been burning him jumps backwards with wide eyes. He can’t take his eyes off of Peter as if he’s not fully sure what he’s actually seeing. In the moments of hesitation, Peter scrambles backwards to hide behind the now open suit.

  “What the hell is a kid like you doing here?” The guy growls, finally waking up from his daze.

  “Stowaway?” He shrugs his shoulders, still backing up to put as much space between them as possible.

  “Very funny, kid. You picked the wrong day.” Before Peter can react, the man’s clenched fist rips through the suit that had been in front of him. Without its core it completely shuts down, crumbling into nothing on the floor. Now there’s nothing between him and the maniacal grin of the glowing man. 

  “Good bye, kid.” He grins, raising his fist to tear through Peter. However, right before anything can happen, one of the suits barrels right into the man sending him tumbling all the way down to the ground below.

  Another suit flies over after it, dropping down behind Peter protectively. It’s more bashed up than all the other suits to the point where it’s almost unrecognisable - but Peter knows each of the suits like the back of his hand. There’s no mistaking it for the newest addition to the collection, the Mark 42.

  “Sir, I don’t believe you were invited.” J.A.R.V.I.S chides him, placing one hand on his shoulder. The other one is raised, ready to fire at a moments notice. 

  “I didn’t mean to come - I was just at the mansion when all the suits took off…”

  “I apologise. I didn’t realise you were in the suit - I was simply ordered to bring all the suits here. If I’d known I never would have brought you here.” 

  “Where’s Dad right now?” If all the suits are here then that must mean this is where Dad is.

  “He’s up in the cargo hold at the top of the rig trying you retrieve Miss. Potts.” Mom...this is the same person that took Mom: Killian. That means Mom’s safe though, they didn’t kill her. 

  “Take me there.”

  “Are you sure…? My primary protocol is to protect you and keep you out of harm's way.” His primary protocol? Wasn’t that to work all the suits? That’s what he had always assumed. 

  “I’m in more danger here with all the baddies running around.” J.A.R.V.I.S pauses for a second, thinking about the situation. 

  “I will stay with you at all times to keep you out of danger.” J.A.R.V.I.S gives him a quick nod, picking him up with one arm and preparing the other for flight, “Don’t put yourself in any danger unless you have to.”

  “I won’t. I promise.” 

  “Okay then…” 

  Flying with Jarvis is very different to flying inside the suit. He’s no longer protected from the wind or the cold as they tear through the air. However it doesn’t make him feel like he’s on a rollercoaster as J.A.R.V.I.S makes sure to keep them upright and flying straight the whole time. There’s no fancy tricks or dangerous moves despite all the danger around them. 

  Unlike the last flight, this one is much shorter - only flying over to the higher section of the rig. This section is even more destroyed than the rest. There must have been an explosion or something because everything has been destroyed and burnt up. Rubble is lying all around them and there’s a searing hole in the side of the container.  

  J.A.R.V.I.S quietly lands them right beside it, pressing them up against the wall so they’re out of sight. From inside the room they can hear another voice - one that Peter knows he’s heard before.

  Still staying quiet, he bends down and grabs a piece of piping sticking out of the rubble beside him. It’s still kind of hot but not enough to actually burn him so he keeps a hold of it, holding it close to his chest. 

  “She's watching. I think you should close your eyes. Close your eyes. Close your eyes.” Killians voice sends a shiver down his spine. For a second he’s back in the hotel bathroom, listening to the very same voice. His grip on the pipe tightens despite the heat.

  His head hasn’t caught up with his body as he launches himself into the room. He doesn’t even need to think, he just raises the pipe and hits it straight into the man who’s pinning Dad down on the ground. Without any time to prepare, Killian is knocked backwards, right in time for Dad to slice his burning hand off with a blade built into the Iron Man suit he’s wearing. The limb bounces on the floor which is slowly starting to glow red from the contact.

  Instantly, Peter drops the pipe as if it's made of lava, letting it clatter onto the floor just like the hand did. Although the man is screaming, the hand actually seems to be...growing back?

  “Peter!” Dad turns around yelling at him. The suit seems to have fallen apart so now he’s just dressed in his normal clothes, “What the hell are you doing here?!”

  “I’m afraid it’s my fault, sir. I didn’t realise he was in one of the suits when I summoned it here.” J.A.R.V.I.S steps into the room, his head bowed low. 

  “I’m sorr -” He doesn’t even get to finish the words before Dad is pulling him into a fierce hug. For a second, he allows himself to just enjoy the moment. To just enjoy the safety - no matter how brief it is. 

  “We need to get Mom -” Dad turns to look at the pile of rubble Mom must be under but at that very second the floor gives way. The burning hand had melted a hole that dislodged the rubble and sent everything falling downward - including Mom. 

  “PEPPER!” Dad screams, leaning forward to look down the hole. “We need to go. Now.” Dad grabs Peter’s wrist, dragging him out of the room. J.A.R.V.I.S follows behind them both, repulsors prepared for any attacks. 

  Peter can see Mom ahead of them. She must have fallen down onto some kind of transport machinery which is slowly carrying her further and further away from them. Debris and rubble is pinning her down and keeping her on the machine as it moves.

  “J.A.R.V.I.S, try to find a way to get her off of that thing.” Dad yells at the suit.

  “But, sir -”

  “Just go. I’ve got Peter.” Dad squeezes Peter’s wrist gently as they keep running.

  After a second, J.A.R.V.I.S nods slowly and flies off towards Pepper. Right before J.A.R.V.I.S can get to Pepper, one of the glowing guys launches himself off of the framework and onto the suit, knocking it off course and blasting it into little tiny pieces. Each of the pieces are sent off in a different direction, scattered amongst all of the chaos. 

  Even so, they don’t stop running. In fact they speed up. If J.A.R.V.I.S can’t help her then they’ll have to do it themselves. 

  Although his leg still hurts he stays quiet. It doesn’t hurt too much - besides they need to help Mom. He keeps on running at Dad’s side, keeping an eye out on all the action going on around them.

  They’re both so focused on running, they almost don’t notice the man chasing behind them. They’ve got no Iron Man suits and no weapons. It’s just them. 

  “DAD!” Peter screams and tugs on Dad’s arm. Dad pushes Peter behind him, putting himself between the man and Peter. At the very last second, a black blur crashes into the man, knocking him off balance for a second. Peter just stands there and watches as the person grabs a hold of the burning man and throws him over the edge of the railing. 

  “Auntie Nat?” 

  “Peter? I thought you were with Clint.” She frowns.

  “And I thought you were dealing with the President yet he’s strung up here instead.”

  “Yeah, well things got complicated. We’re here now though.” Auntie Nat nods towards Mom, “You two keep going, I’ve got your backs.” 

  He has no idea where he’s going but he keeps following Dad as they run. As they get closer to Pepper it becomes clear that to reach her they’re going to have to jump. The only other place where this walkway will meet her is right at the end but by then it might be too late.

  “Nat, you take Peter and meet me on the other side - I’ll jump and grab Pepper.” Tony stops and speaks to them right before the jump.

  “But -” He tries to speak but Auntie Nat speaks over him.

  “Okay. Make sure you grab her.” Dad gives her a short sharp nod as they regard one another, “Come on Peter.” She takes his hand gently and starts pulling him the other way. For a second he resists but he knows he should leave. He can’t make that jump but Dad can. They have to watch from the sidelines as Dad clambers over onto the machine, pulling himself up until he can almost reach Mom. She’s still suspended above him - trapped just out of reach. 

  “Pep, I got you. Relax, I got you.” He stretches his arm up as far as it will go but it's not far enough. 

   _No! Not Mom!_ He can't lose her. Not like his other Mom. Not again. Peter still can’t do anything. Him and Auntie Nat are stranded on the other side away from the action. The whole structure is slowly moving towards them, bringing Mom and Dad closer and closer to him. For now, though all they can do is wait. He knows that even if he was there he would be useless but that doesn’t change anything. 

  “Just look at me!” Dad pleads with her. He sounds...scared. Peter can never imagine him being scared. Iron Man never seems like the kind of person who would be scared. 

  “Honey, I can't reach any further and you can't stay there. All right? You've got to let go. You've got to let go! I'll catch you, I promise.” Peter can’t watch. He has to turn and tuck himself into Auntie Nat’s side. Even though the world is falling apart around them, she holds him close to her side. One of her fingers absentmindedly plays with his hair as she hums as strange lullaby under her breath.

  Suddenly, there’s a huge jolt as the machine comes to a stop right beside him and Auntie Nat. Followed by a spine chilling scream. In spite of everything, he looks up in time to see Mom get jolted out of place. Without anything there to catch her, she just keeps on falling. Her hand misses Dad’s by an inch. And then she’s falling. 

  “No!” Dad screams, reaching out for her hopelessly.

  Without any regard, he pulls himself away from Auntie Nat and leans over the barrier, staring down into the flames beneath them. It takes him a second to realise that Mom’s not the one screaming anymore, he is.

  He refuses to believe it. He refuses. Happy and Aunt Peggy are in the hospital already - he doesn’t want Mom to have to go there too - or worse. Not Mom. 

  He almost doesn’t believe it when he sees a huge green jump through the flames to catch her. It must be some kind of hallucination or something. 

  “Banner!” Auntie Nat shouts, peering over his shoulder. It’s only then that he believes it. If someone else saw it then it can’t be a hallucination. 

  “Last minute save.” A familiar smug voice chuckles. Killian!

  At once, Auntie Nat twists around, ready to take on the next threat but she’s already too late. A huge pillar of fire explodes from his mouth, separating Peter and her. She tries to shield herself but Killian takes advantage of the moment, blasting her backwards over the edge of the railing. 

  “Nat!” He screams.

  He’d spent so long being mad at her and Captain America because of New York. He’d known it wasn’t their fault but he was mad anyway. After everything, he’d never even apologised to her. Never said sorry for ignoring her all these months. And now she’s…

  “So who might you be?” Killian snarls and steps towards him, “A son, maybe?” He grabs a hold of Peter’s wrist with his freshly regrown arm. He wriggles and squirms as much as he can but it doesn’t achieve anything.

  “You hurt Mom!” He snarls, still struggling with all of his might.

  “Mom, eh? I must say - you don’t look like her.” Killian pulls him even closer.

  Even though his legs are shaking and he feels like throwing up, he gathers all that is left of his courage and spits right in Killian’s face. The momentary distraction loosens his hold, letting Peter kick him away and scramble free.

  “Peter!” Dad jumps over the railing and grabs onto Peter, pulling him out of Killian’s reach. 

  “Now you, he looks like.” Killian chuckles. With his newly regrown arm he wipes away with spit, watching it sizzle away. 

  “We’re going to end this right now. You and me.” Dad clenches his fist tightly. 

  Without any hesitation, he runs straight at Killian. Killian does exactly the same, running to meet Dad in the middle. Killian jumps high up into the air, readying himself to punch downwards but instead of attacking Killian, Dad falls to the ground and slides underneath him. As he slides across the ground, one of the suits lands in front of him, ready for action. 

  “You should have left my family alone.” He growls.

  “Your family.” Killian stands sideways so he can keep an eye on Peter and Tony at the same time, “Cute kid. I must say - Maya was very tight-lipped.” The words send a shiver down his spine. His legs won’t stop shaking but he keeps holding himself upright. 

  Dad makes the first move, running towards Killian again. This time, however, he meets him with a punch. It’s the kind of punch that should have knocked him backwards but only seems to temporarily stun him. No matter how many times the punches hit Killian, they do nothing. The two are evenly matched. 

  Suddenly, Killian uncurls his fist and straightens it out. The one edge of his palm he slices the arm of the Iron Man suit clean off. The only reason Dad’s arm isn’t sliced off too is because he ejects his arm at the very last second, getting it out of the line of fire.

  “I must say, I never pictured you as a family man.” Killian grabs onto Dad's disarmed wrist before he can land another punch.

  “And I never pictured you as a psychotic terrorist. People change.” Dad hisses. Even from here he can see Killian's skin slowly starting to glow as he turns up the heat. 

  “J.A.R.V.I.S?!" Peter yells out as loud as he can, praying that JARVIS can somehow hear him. 

  "I'm afraid you're out of time," Killian smirks and slices through the rest of the suit with his free arm. Dad tries to eject again but can't fully move out of the way because Killian is holding onto his arm. Besides, if he tried to escape Killian would simply turn on Peter. 

  "Please!" He shouts out one last time. Hoping beyond hope. 

  "I believed you called for me, sir." Over the edge of the barrier, the beaten-up form of the Mark 42 appears. How it is still working, he has no idea but he’s never been happier to see any suit before, “How many I be of assistance.”

  “Attach to Killian!” Peter points at the glowing man holding onto his Dad.

  “As you wish.” Unlike the other suits, this suit breaks down into little pieces - each one attaching onto Killian's body. He’s torn away from 

  “Thanks, Sparky.” Dad flashes him a cool, calm smile. “Light him up, J.A.R.V.I.S!”

  “My pleasure, sir.” 

  Still carefully holding onto his burnt wrist, Dad races towards Peter. He carefully picks Peter up and races towards the other end of the walkway. The same edge Auntie Nat was thrown over. Sure enough, as they vault over the edge, the can see Auntie Nat laying on the platform a few meters below, blood dripping down her forehead.

  Dad uses the repulsor he still has to slow them down as they crash towards the platform. It isn’t very effective but at least they don’t hit the metal at full speed. The impact causes Dad to drop him as they both roll across the surface haphazardly. 

  “Auntie Nat!” Peter scrambles over to her side. 

  “Peter? What’s happening?” She mumbles and presses one hand against her head. 

  He opens his mouth to explain the situation but any words are drowned out by the sound of the Mark 42 exploding behind them. Despite their distance, the shock wave can still be felt as it ripples outwards. The entire metal structure they’re resting on suddenly tilts, trying to throw them off towards the ground below. 

  Dad, who was on the other side of the platform, has nothing to grip onto and is launched over the edge. The only sign that he’s okay is the spluttering of his suit’s repulsors as they try to slow his descent as much as possible.

  Before the same thing can happen to them, Auntie Nat grabs her grappling hook and shoots it at one of the stable beams across from them. The wire wraps around perfectly, looping five times before holding steady.

  “Hold on tight.” She holds him gently with her free arm and jumps off the edge, letting the wire carry them away from the explosion.

  It’s strange, he feels like he should be screaming but instead all he feels is a rush. Wind tears through his hair and clothes at a breakneck speed. For the first time he’s completely weightless, soaring through the air. If the circumstances were different he would even say it was fun.

  Instead of continually swinging at that height, Auntie Nat slowly lowers them towards the ground. It’s so smooth you could be fooled into thinking they were just swinging there until her feet touch the concrete below. 

  “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you?” She carefully puts him down on the ground and gives him a once over. Unlike her, he’s actually okay except for the injuries he got when they were attacked at home. 

  “I’m okay - what about Dad?” His eyes rake across the surface, searching for any sign of his Dad amongst the flames. With all the flames he can only just about make out the silhouette sitting down in front of the flaming Iron Man wreck. “DAD!”

  At the sound of his voice, the silhouette turns around to face him. Orange flames illuminate his face, casting strange shadows across the ground. As Peter and Auntie Nat run to his side, they can see him smiling brightly. 

  Unfortunately, he isn’t the only silhouette visible in the flames.

  “Well, well, well.” Killian still stands despite everything. He’s battered and covered in soot. Now instead of just glowing, his skin is cracking making him look more like a volcano than a fire. He’s never been in worse shape but even so, their hearts are filled with dread. Can nothing kill him? He’d seen more than his fair share of baddies but this is the first time one has seemed invincible.

  “No more false faces. You said you wanted the Mandarin. You're looking right at him. It was always me, Tony. Right from the start. I am the Mandarin!” He slowly drags himself towards them. Even though his skin is still falling off of him he’s speaking like he’s already won. As if his victory is somehow inevitable.

  And yet all three of them jump back as a huge piece of piping slams into the broken man and flings him into the other wall. A trail of sparks and ashes are left behind him, marking out his path.

  “Mom!” Pepper is stood at the other end of the pipe, glowing red hot just like Killian and the others. Beside her is the Hulk - glaring at the half-conscious man who is now slumped against the far wall. 

  Disregarding her appearance, Peter runs towards her. He’d seen the Hulk catch her but actually seeing her standing here is completely different. There’s no mistaking this for an illusion or hallucination. She’s here in the flesh - even if she’s a little bit hotter than before.

  “No, Peter, you can’t touch me.” She jumps away from Peter as fast as she can. Although he knows why she does it, he can’t help but feel hurt. After everything, she won’t even touch him. She’s too scared to. Why can’t she see that she won’t hurt him? 

  “Pepper!” Auntie Nat interrupts the silence, pointing at the rising figure of Killian.

   _Maybe he really is invincible._  

 They’re all too focused on Killian they don’t even notice the Iron Man headed towards them until it’s too late. 

  “J.A.R.V.I.S, subject at my 12 o'clock is not a target, disengage!” Dad tries to shout but J.A.R.V.I.S is too high up to hear them. The only way to communicate would be with Dad’s earpiece but it Peter can see it lying on the concrete a few meters away.

  “Hulk Smash!” Hulk jumps up in the air and slams his fist through the empty suit. The sheer force tears a hole in the suit, causing it to fall into pieces and rain down on them. 

  Auntie Nat and Mom waste no time jumping into action. Auntie Nat grabs a hold of one of the loose missiles and launches it towards Killian. As if they’re on the same wavelength, Mom slips her hand into the fallen gauntlet, firing a repulsor blast at the missile right as it hits Killian.

  A huge fireball expands, completely consuming what’s left of Killian. As it fades away they watch the shrivelled up husk fall to the ground. There’s no lava left under his skin, just his burnt up shell. They keep on watching the figure but there’s no magical reboot this time. He just keeps laying there, still and cold. 

  “Honey?” Dad cautiously gets up off of the floor and steps towards her.

  “Oh, my God. That was really violent. Peter -”

  “- Is fine.” Dad looks over at him and smiles proudly. “We’re all okay.”

  “Who's the hot mess now?” She tries to laugh but all of her body is tense. He wants to move towards her and hug her but any movement he makes will just make her more scared. 

  “It's still debatable. Probably tipping your way a little bit.” 

  “You know, I think I understand why you don't want to give up the suits. What am I going to complain about now?” She stares down at her glowing arms.

  Somehow, even though it’s the same power as the others, it looks different on her. It doesn’t look like embers or lava - it’s like an inferno. All the bright colours burning strong and hot. The steady beating of colour matches her heartbeat. 

  “Well, it's me. You'll think of something.” 

  Although he knows how she will react, Peter bridges the gap between them. He moves as fast as he can, reaching his hand out to touch her. 

  “No, don't touch me.” Hulk places one giant hand on her shoulder soothingly. Her momentary pause gives Peter the opportunity to wrap his arms around her waist tightly. Her skin might be glowing but he doesn’t care. She’s his Mom - she would never hurt him. Not even if she’s made of fire now. 

  “I thought you were going to die.” He mumbles into her side.

  “I think you’re stuck with me, Peter.” Even though he’s not looking, he can hear her smiling softly. 

  “See: not hot,” Dad explains as he steps forward to join in the hug.

  “Am I gonna be okay?” She whispers as quietly as she can manage but Peter just about manages to catch it.

  “Is everything ever okay in this family?” Dad laughs. “Everything will never be okay. But Peter and I will sort something out. Won’t we, Sparky?” He draws away and Peter’s head gently.

  “Course! Dad can fix anything!” Peter slowly lets go of her to give them all some breathing room.

  “Like all of your suits?” 

  “Okay - maybe I did go a bit overboard.” They all look around at the suits scattered around the area. When they were just in the lab, it didn’t seem like too many suits but now looking at it he can see just how many there really are. “I'm going to shave them down a little bit.”

  Auntie Nat steps forward with the earpiece in hand. Smiling, he puts it back in his ear.

  “J.A.R.V.I.S. Hey.”

  “All wrapped up here, sir. Colonel Rhodes and the President are secured and safe. Will there be anything else?”

  “You know what to do.”

  “The Clean Slate Protocol, sir?”

  “Screw it, it's Christmas. Yes, yes.”

  Dad pulls them back into the hug right as the first explosion goes off above them. One by one the suits self destruct like fireworks. Each of them leaves an explosive spectacle of sparks in the air, lighting up the area around them.

  Beside them, the Hulk stares up at the sky quietly. He doesn’t say anything or move, he just sits on the floor beside Auntie Nat and watches the colours rain down.

  Bruce is always talking about how dangerous the Hulk is but right now he finds that difficult to believe. His eyes look more like Peters than Killian’s, staring wide-eyed and the wondrous spectacle. He’s definitely not Bruce but he’s not the monster people say he is either.

  None of them speak as they watch the suits burst into nothing. Watching the new era begin.


	13. Amity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has an unexpected meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little Christmas update! My gift to all of you. Between this, my lab reports and my essays it feels like I've been on my computer non stop this last month. Hopefully the next month is easier.
> 
> I hope everyone's having a great Christmas, Hanukkah or holiday :)

**Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'**

**\- C.S Lewis**

 

~~~

 

  Waking up after the surgery is strange. Removing the arc reactor had never been something he pictured himself doing. For years now it’s been a part of him. So much of who he is now is defined by the small night light in his chest - just getting rid of it didn’t seem like an option. Despite that, here he is.

  It takes a few minutes for him to finally wake up and open his eyes. They’re much heavier than normal so just opening them is like a workout. And yet, for the first time in months, he actually feels well-rested as he opens his eyes. There’s no cold sweat or panic, just a sense of calm. 

  Moonlight shines through the open hospital room window, catching the small figure curled up at his side. Peter must have snuck onto the bed at some point as he’s still fully dressed with his glasses on, on top of the bedsheets. One of his arms is draped over Tony so that the palm of his hand rests on the spot where the arc reactor once was.

  Tony quietly reaches over and takes off Peter’s glasses to set them down on the bedside table. As usual, he shows no signs of waking - even when Tony gently lifts him and slides him under the covers. 

  Although he doesn’t wake up, he snuggles closer to Tony in his sleep. His head tucks under Tony’s chin so his curls tickle Tony’s cheeks. They really need to give him a hair cut - at this rate, he’ll end up like another shaggy looking kid Tony knows. He knows Pepper would be more than happy to start hacking away at the hair.

  Speaking of Pepper, he can see her sleeping on the chair that had been beside Peter’s. One of her arms is propped up on the armrest to keep her head somewhat upright. Her coffee mug is still on the bedside table beside Peter’s glasses and is only half empty.

  Much like Peter, she hasn’t changed clothes from when he last saw her and looks more disheveled than he’s ever seen her before. It’s pretty impressive considering only a few days ago the Hulk caught her falling through midair. 

  As much as he’d like to sit there in that moment of solace, he finds himself being slowly pulled back under. For the first time in months, he doesn’t fight it - and for the first time in months, there are no dreams.

  By the end of the next day, he manages to convince the doctors to let him go back to the tower. With all the tech and scientists back in the tower it would probably be even better than a hospital. If he was going to have anyone take care of him he would want it to be Bruce or Helen. He can’t think of anyone better. Besides, the sooner he’s out of this bed and the hospital, the better. 

  “Are you sure about this Tony? It was a major surgery - maybe you should just stay here.” Pepper frowns as he rests his weight on her arm. 

  “I’m fine. If I spend more than one day in this bed I might actually go insane.” Sitting down in bed for days has never been his thing. He’d rather run himself dry than shrivel up watching Downton Abbey reruns and day time TV.

  “Don’t worry - I’ll make sure he’s taking care of himself,” Bruce swears to Pepper. 

  Tony hadn’t expected the scientist to come to the hospital to take him back home. For the most part, Bruce had avoided Tony and isolated himself away from everyone. Somehow he’d even managed to lock himself away from Peter. Seeing him show up back at the oil rig had been a surprise however this is more surprising. Now there are no stakes, no evil corporation to take down, just Tony. 

  “You’re going to have your work cut out for you.” Pepper chuckles lightly.

  “Well, I’m not going to be alone.” He turns to Peter and gives him a soft smile.

  “We’ll both look after him!” Peter jumps up high with one fist raised in the air. Tony can’t remember a time when he had that much energy to burn. The kid has more energy than he knows what to do with. 

  “Well then, Dad will be in very good hands.” 

  Strangely, his mind goes back to that cave all those years ago. To the last surgery he had. He had had Yinsen but other than that he’d been isolated. There had been no resting - just building. Even if he had wanted to rest there wasn’t an opportunity. This time is definitely a different experience.

  Peter and Bruce make surprisingly good mother hens. He can hardly get out of bed without one of them - sometimes even Pepper or Rhodey - pestering him with questions. _What does he want? Why does he need it? Did he eat breakfast? Does he want lunch?_ An endless barrage of questions at all times.

  However, when they’re not being so fussy, it’s actually quite nice. Having Bruce while he works (when he’s allowed to) is a nice change of pace. It’s been years since he worked alone in his lab but having someone to work _with_ is a different experience.

  He’d always thought him and Bruce were more similar than the other Avengers. They understood one another in a different way. He even surprises himself by bringing up his panic attacks with Bruce which feels like a weight lifted off of his shoulders. 

  With the mansion destroyed they’re mostly restricted to the tower now. Everyone keeps telling him to destroy what remains of the building and buy something new but he can’t bring himself to. 

  As soon as Bruce and Helen clear him, he finds himself flying back to the mansion with Peter. It might be in tatters but it’s still his home. A living memory. So instead of destroying it, he slowly recovers all of the pieces that had crumbled down to the bottom of the ocean.

  He’s not really sure why - they’re right in saying that he can’t fix it anymore. They’d have to remake the whole place from scratch to do that. Even so, he watches as each of those pieces are recovered and place amongst the rest of the rubble. Him and Peter watch from the side as he throws a piece of himself back into the water, watching the blue light fall further and further down the cliff until it collides with the water and is swallowed whole.

  Peter doesn’t ask any questions, he just takes Tony’s hand and watches with him. 

  Unfortunately, by the time Christmas rolls around Happy still hasn’t been discharged. Unlike Tony, the man doesn’t seem all that bothered. Every time they visit him, he’s happily laying back in the bed with the TV on or a book in his hand. There’s a refreshing light in his eyes that reminds Tony of the man he’d known years ago - before Tony had made his life infinitely more stressful. 

  Although they have their own celebrations in New York with Bruce, the Rhodes and the Parkers, him, Pepper and Peter all stop by the hospital for another little celebration after. Since Happy is still in Malibu they have to stay in a hotel nearby but no one complains. They’ve lived there for years but it almost feels like a holiday. One Pepper certainly needed after they sorted out her Extremis situation. 

  Holding true to his promise, he takes Peter back to the old house every day with the bike to practice. There’s no one else, just the two of them amongst the wreckage. 

  “Okay, hold steady now.” His hands are holding onto the bike seat, keeping the whole thing upright. Even now, he can feel the bike wobbling in his grip, “You need to stop wriggling.”

  “Okay, okay…” He takes a deep breath and bike stops wobbling ever so slightly.

  Even from here, Tony can see the grazes covering his legs and the splatter of mud smeared on his cheek. If Pepper was here she’d already have forced them inside and covered him in bandaids but there’s only so much light in the day. By tomorrow they’ll be heading back to New York where it’s considerably harder to practice riding. Besides, he barely even acknowledged them before getting right back on the bike.

  “You just need to keep going forwards, don’t get stuck in your head.”

  “I won’t, I won’t.” He rolls his eyes. For a second, one of his hands lets go of the handlebars to secure his glasses.

  “You always get stuck in your head, kid.” As adorable as it is seeing his face screw up in focus, it’s not doing him any favours. This isn’t one of their lab projects where he can just sit there thinking it all through. “Sometimes things need to be impulsive. Instinctive. You’ve just gotta go with the flow.”

  “Go with the flow...got it.” He breathes in deeply again, closing his eyes. His tensed muscles relax and his grip on the handles loosens ever so slightly.

  In that moment of calm, Tony could swear he was looking back in time. Back to those days when they’d lay on the grass outside MIT and watch the day go by. He could swear he was watching Mary sketch in charcoal. He can almost pretend that he’ll see green eyes when Peter’s eyes finally open. The sight of Peter’s brown eyes is almost like a spear through his heart. 

  Of course, he knows all of this is stupid. It’s been years now. Nearing a decade… Even before that, he’d lived without her for years and years. In fact, he’s ashamed to admit how long it’s been since he really thought about her. But for some reason, in this moment, all those feelings come right back completely out of nowhere.

  He’s so lost in his own head - in his memories - he doesn’t feel Peter pulling away from him. His grip on the bike is gone but Peter is still cycling. There’s no supports to keep him stable and protect him. He’s completely on his own but he’s still going.

  “Dad?” Peter shouts out, wobbling ever so slightly as he tries to turn around and look for Tony.

  “It’s okay, keep going! You’re doing fantastic!” Sure, it’s a bit all over the place, but it’s much further than he’s gone before. It’s impressive to go from nothing to this in just one attempt. He almost doesn’t believe it.

  Watching Peter cycling around, it hits him. She should be here. That’s why he’s feeling this way. This was meant to be her moment. If things had been different, her and Richard would have been doing this. This would have been their life. Sure, Tony would have been around but this would have been their moment.

  Even when he does finally lose his balance and fall, it’s hard to feel upset. Peter bounces straight back up beaming. Any previous thoughts are banished, replaced with pride. 

  “Did you see! I kept going for like five minutes!” It was closer to two minutes but Tony doesn’t say anything. Two minutes or five minutes, what’s the difference.

  “Yeah, you did great Sparky.”

  Peter grabs the bike’s handles and drags it over to Tony. Somehow, despite still dragging the bike, he manages to skip over. All that energy can hardly be contained. He’s practically buzzing, even with all of his grazes and injuries. 

  “High five, kid.” Tony grins, holding his hand out ready. Just as Peter goes to high five him, he moves his hand out of reach, “Too slow.”

  “You suck.” Peter sticks his tongue out and, childishly, so does Tony. 

  “I wasn’t the slow one.”

  “Mom’s going to be so impressed when we get back!” 

  “You bet she is.” In fairness, Pepper is always proud of him. Unlike Tony, he can do nothing wrong. 

  “I wanna try again! I’m sure I can go for longer this time!”

  “Hop on then.” Peter hops straight back on the bike, ready for another round. 

  The tower doesn't exactly have much space for riding a bike - not unless you're planning to cycle indoors (which Pepper would never allow). All of them have to instead trek out to the park, dressed up in thick heavy clothes to try and blend into the crowds of people. Even so, it's worth the effort to see him proudly showing off his new skills.

  Warmth spreads through him, seeing Pepper watch over Peter with sparkling eyes. It's easy to forget she's not his actual mom. With all the work she has to do - courtesy of Tony - she misses out on many of these moments. The peaceful calm moments where they get to pretend they're normal and not under constant threat. 

  "Do you mind staying with him? I'm supposed to be going to visit Peggy." He slings one arm over her shoulder and kisses her temple lightly. 

  "I could call Peter over and we can all go together." 

  "No, he's enjoying this." For once he gets to act like all the other kids in his class. Tony isn't going to take that away from him. 

  "He loves visiting Peggy." 

  "You can both come by later. There's no point rushing him when we don't need to. She'll still be there later." 

  "Okay." She smiles and pulls away from him, letting his arm fall back down to his side. "Peter! Your dad wants to say goodbye." She yells out across the park, beckoning him with a raised hand. 

  Instantly, Peter cycles over, his eyebrows furrowed. 

  "Where are you going?"

  "Just to visit Aunt Peggy." Tony tries to reassure him.

  "I wanna come too." He starts to jump off of the bike but Tony places a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

  "You and mom are coming later, I just wanted to get there a little earlier." There were some things he wanted to say to Peggy alone anyway. 

  "Okay…" Peter bites his bottom lip, staring up at Tony with his big, adorable puppy dog eyes. 

  "See you later then, Sparky. Show off all your impressive cycling skills."

  "Okay." He giggles. 

  "I'll bring him over later." Pepper kisses him softly. Her hand lingers in his, squeezing it gently as he pulls away. 

  Part of him still doesn't quite feel like all of this is real. This family. Pepper. Peter. What did he do to deserve them? After all the one night stands and irresponsible behaviour, it doesn't seem like he's done anything to deserve the people in his life. Although he spends time visiting Peggy, even that doesn't feel like enough. He could be doing so much more for her. For everyone. 

  He has to chase the thoughts of his own nightmares away as he steps into Peggy's hospital room. This isn't the time to be thinking about what is waiting in their future. Not the time to be thinking about how little he is doing to protect the planet.

  “Peggy?” He creeps closer to the bed, watching his aunt for any reaction.

  Laying there on the hospital bed, she looks weaker than he’s ever seen her before. Weak wasn’t exactly a word he’d ever connoted with his aunt but, right now, it’s fitting. It’s still very clearly Peggy - with all her typical feisty Peggy qualities - but it’s hard to hide the tired eyes. Especially from someone who’s lived with those eyes for years. 

  “Howard? Is that you?” He tries not to take her mistake to heart. She might mistake the two of them but that doesn't really mean anything. He's not his father - at least he tries not to be. 

  “It's Tony - Howard's son.” He smiles and takes a seat beside her bed. As soon as he’s sat down, she holds her hand out to him, resting it on top of the bed weakly. Her hand feels cold against his. As if she can read his mind, she gently squeezes his hand. A reminder. She might be weak but she’s not fragile. Still as unbreakable as ever.

  “Tony…oh yes. You've grown up so much, haven't you? It’s been so long since you last visited.” She chides him. In fact, they’d visited just last week but it’s been a long time since he bothered correcting her. 

  “Yeah, I’ll try and come more often.”

  “You’re a busy man. Running that company all by yourself. I never knew how you and your dad managed to find time for the company and home life.” She starts to chuckle but it quickly becomes a cough instead. 

  Well, that one he _can_ answer for her: Howard didn’t. The company and Steve always came first. On the other hand, Tony took the other approach - ignoring all of the CEO duties to spend time at home. Neither of them were ever able to find a good balance. Each negligent in their own ways. 

  “I’m not alone. I’ve got Pepper to do all the work for me.” If he didn't have her the company probably would have fallen to shambles a long time ago. 

  “Ah, Miss Potts. She’s a good woman, you know. You should keep a hold of that one.” She winks. 

  He didn’t need Peggy to tell him that. She’s always been better than he deserved - although so far he’s done an awful job of showing his appreciation. He should really put in more effort or she’s bound to leave him. Even the thought makes his heart race. How would Peter and him deal with everything without her? They'd be a mess - well, Tony would be. 

  “I’ll do my best.” He smiles weakly. “Peggy…?”

  “What is it?”

  “After the war, did you ever think it was unfair Steve never got to see the end result of it all.”

  She stops for a moment, her eyes glazing over. What does she think about in those moments? Where is her mind?

  He's had the privilege of not having to live through a war like that one. Even a small battle like New York left his mind in shambles. He can't imagine how people who lived through the war kept themselves together. 

  “All the time. Every time I saw people celebrating I’d think about how unfair it was. All of them should have been able to see it. Everyone who gave their lives.” Her grip on his hand lessens ever so slightly. Instead of focusing on him, her eyes are glazed over, staring off in the distance.

  “Does that feeling ever go away?”

  “Tony, one thing I’ve learned in my many years is that things never really go away. However, they can change. Dwelling on what never was isn’t a good way to live your life. It might be unfair that all those people never got to see the end but that doesn’t mean we have to spend every second of our lives thinking about that. Those people wouldn’t want us to live that way."

  He knows she's right. He's done his best to love that way. To push all the thoughts and memories away. To live without dwelling on the past. Repressing all those thoughts before they become dangerous or painful. 

  “This is all about Peter, right?” She snaps him out of his thoughts, “It’s been a long long time since you mentioned any of this.”

  “Sometimes I’ll see him and think about how she should be the one experiencing these things." He sighs, slumping over. 

  "I'm sure that's not how she would feel." She finally let's go of his hand, raising hers to cup his cheek. 

  "Aunt Peggy!" Peter shouts, cutting short any thoughts Tony was having. Her hand falls away from his cheek and back down onto the bed. 

  "Hello, Peter. You're looking grown up!" She grins, holding out her arms as Peter jumps up onto her bed with her. 

  "We came here a few months ago!" He giggles loudly. 

  "Really? Well, you still look grown up." She smiles softly, readjusting his glasses which have fallen off slightly. 

  Tony turns around, seeing Pepper standing in the doorway, a bouquet of roses in her hand. She looks beautiful stood there, the light shining through her hair which has been let down.

  "Hello, Peggy. We brought you some fresh flowers." Pepper steps into the room, walking up behind Tony.

  Carefully she removes the half-dead flowers from the vase beside her bed and throws them into the bin beside the bed. 

  "Thank you, sweetie."

  "It's my pleasure. We all know Tony wouldn't have brought anything. I'll go get some fresh water." 

  "I chose the flowers myself," Peter explains as Pepper turns on the water in the adjacent bathroom. 

  "You've got brilliant taste." Peggy kisses his cheek and hugs him as tightly as she can. 

  Pepper quietly sets the vase and roses back down on the bedside table, standing behind Tony with one hand resting on his shoulder. 

  "You should take the seat." Tony carefully takes her hand off of his shoulder and stands up. 

  "No, it's fine. I'm okay standing." She tries to make him sit back down but he stands his ground. He's sat here for long enough. He can already feel the walls getting a little too small. 

  “No, I’ll go get us some drinks. I need a little air and Peggy has you and Peter to keep her company for a few minutes.”

  "Are you sure?" He’s had enough of hospital rooms to last him a lifetime. A little space is exactly what he needs right now. Afterall, Happy was only just released from the Malibu hospital. 

  "I'm sure." 

  No one stops him as he steps out of the room and heads towards the cafeteria on the first floor. The one good thing about this hospital room is that it's incredibly close to the elevator. There's no wandering through endless corridors just to find your escape route. 

  Thankfully, no one pays him any attention in the confined space. He might be accustomed to crowds but it isn't exactly fun to have people corner you in a place like this. He's not exactly up for a Q&A right now. 

  Even so, he wastes no time getting out of the elevator when the doors finally open. He's walking so fast he almost doesn't notice the small figure hunched up on one of the chairs. 

  "Kid?" He slows to a stop in front of the scrappy figure. The kid’s head snaps up in the blink of an eye.

  There are dark bags under his skin looks paler than Tony remembers. Somehow his clothes look even baggier than before. Just the sight of him feels like a stab in the stomach. 

  "What are you doing here?" Harley tears his eyes away from Tony. He should be all the way back in Tennessee. 

  "We've moved here." Harley looks up towards the cafeteria. Tony catches sight of a female figure standing in the queue with a tray of food. His mom? 

  "Moved? Why?" There had been no sign of them moving when Tony had been there.

  “They wanted to transfer Rosie here for treatments apparently.” Rosie? It takes a few seconds to place the name, after all he’d only heard it a few times.

  "Your sister? She's sick?" She must have only been a couple of years old, how sick could she be? It was bad enough seeing Peggy or Happy in the hospital but seeing someone so young in a place like this would be awful. 

  "Yeah…for a while. Neuro…" He pauses for a second, "Something…A type of cancer I think…" Cancer? Is that why she wasn’t in the house when Tony visited?

  "You okay, kid?" No kid should have to be sat here going through this. 

  "I'm fine. She's the one who's sick." As bad as he might be at taking care of his own mental health, he can tell when someone isn’t okay. There’s no way you can be okay while you’re going through something like this. 

  "That doesn't mean you have to be okay." "Where are you guys staying? You buy a place in the city?" 

  "A hotel at the moment. We only just moved. Still getting money and everything sorted out."

  "You know I've got loads of empty floors in my tower. I'd be more than happy to let you guys stay on one of the empty floors." When they'd rebuilt the tower he'd kept the other Avengers in mind, however, none of them ever came to stay other than Bruce. It was kind of a waste of space.

  "Harley, I got a sandwich - I hope that's okay for now. I'll try and sort something else out later." The woman he assumes is Harley's mom walks over with the barren tray of food. As soon as she catches sight of Tony she slows to a stop. 

  "Tony Stark. You must be Harley’s mom." Tiny extends his hand towards her politely. 

  "Um...Yeah...yeah. It's…um...my name’s Sally. Sally Keener." She clears her throat a few too many times. Without hesitation, she moves to shake Tony's hand only to suddenly remember the tray she's carrying. Red-faced, she sets the tray down and grabs his hand with her sweaty one. In one swift motion, she brushes her unkempt hair over one shoulder - smoothing it down as casually as is possible. 

  "Harley here was just saying you were staying in a hotel." 

  "It's just temporary, while I sort things out. Things have been difficult but as soon as things quieten down we'll find a place." She nods a few times too many, her eyes never quite meeting Tony’s. In fact, she spends more time looking at Harley than Tony.

  "While you're waiting you can crash in the tower. There’s a couple of empty floors right now waiting to be lived in.” There’s no point in having empty space in the tower. Anyway, it would be nice for Peter to have someone his age. Tony definitely hasn’t let himself get attached to the scruffy looking Tennessee boy...

  "It's fine, Mr. Stark. We don't need charity or pity." She finally meets his eyes, composing herself.

  "Consider it repayment for everything your son did. Technically, he saved me, my girlfriend, my best friend, and the president. I think that at least earns a place to crash for a few weeks." He has no idea what would have happened if he’d crashed outside someone else’s house.

  "I...I...I don't -" 

  "The place is just sitting there unused. It wouldn't even cost me - not that money matters." He cuts her off, not wanting to let her finish her thoughts. There’s no real reason for them to refuse. 

  "I don't know how to thank you." She tries to look over to Harley for assistance bu the boy just shrugs casually.

  "You don't need to. This is nothing." He grabs a pen from his pocket and scrawls his number down on a napkin from her tray. "Here's my number. Tell me when you're free and I'll send Happy to get you. He's been dying to get back to work again." As usual, Happy hadn’t shut up about work. Even when they’d been keeping him in hospital he wouldn’t shut up. While he’s at work he complains non-stop but the second he’s chained down he acts like Tony, itching to be freed.

  Sally holds the napkin limply. Although her eyes are locked onto the material, she might as well be staring right through it.

  "Look, I need to go get some drinks and go back to the room but this conversation isn't over. You better call." He does his best ‘dad’ face, pointing an accusatory finger at Harley. "It's honestly not a burden."

  "Thank you, Mr. Stark."

  "It's Tony - Mr. Stark was my father. Just make sure you call." Even now after all these years, Mr. Stark is Howard. He’d always suited Mr. Stark more than Howard or dad. 

  He smiles softly as he walks away. All he can do is hope they take up the offer as he walks over to the cafe, his thoughts with the family.

 

~~~

 

  Peter isn’t sure what he was expecting when dad mentioned Harley. Of course, he’d heard the story of what had happened but he’d never expected to actually meet the other boy. He’d just been another story - like all the other people dad talks about. Like his other mom. So is still doesn’t feel like it’s actually happening to

  “What are you thinking about?” Dad mutters without looking up. He’s sat on the couch, one foot propped up on the coffee table. It’s lucky mom isn’t here to see it or she would tear him apart. 

  His tablet is in his hand, displaying a small design for a new suit. After he’d blown them all up he’d had to start from scratch again - although not quite the same as before. Instead of spending all day making suits for himself, Peter and mom, it’s a side project he does between the actual projects. 

  “Nothing.”

  “You’re an awful liar.” Dad chuckles and sets the tablet back down on the coffee table, “I can hear you thinking.”

  “What if he doesn’t like me?”

  “Everyone likes you, kid.” There’s not a second's hesitation. Even so, Peter knows that’s not true. With the exception of Ned, no one likes him at school. It’s just the two of them. He might be fine with that if it wasn’t for the Flash.  

  Several times now he’s wondered if he should mention the kids from school but it never felt like the right time. Besides, what good would it do? Dad would be upset. He might even call up the school and cause a fuss. No, it was safer to just leave things as they were. Peter would just be making more problems for dad. 

  “But what if he doesn’t?” Peter mumbles quietly. Without noticing it he’s started biting his nails again, the ends raw and broken. Now mom will be annoyed at him…

  Without saying anything, dad shuffles along the couch to sit closer to Peter. He casually slings one arm around Peter, pulling him slightly closer. 

  “Then you just avoid him. It’s not like he’ll be sleeping in the same room as you. He won’t even be on the same floor.”

  “Okay.”

  “There’s nothing to be worried about.” He kisses Peter’s forehead and gently squeezes him, “Stop imagining the worst.”

  At that moment, the elevator doors open and three people step out into the room. The first person he recognises instantly: Happy. The woman following him is completely unfamiliar with thinning, blonde hair hanging limp. The boy walking beside her has slightly darker hair - a pale brown colour - and soft blue eyes. Both of them have the same pale skin and dark bags under their eyes. No dad leaves the elevator though...

  There aren’t many bags with them. Sally and Happy have a suitcase and a large travel bag each. Harley, on the other hand, has three backpacks strapped to him and is dragging a large travel bag behind him. One of the backpacks is slightly open with some kind of plastic gun sticking out of the top of it. 

  “Sally, Harley, I’d like you to meet my son Peter.” Tony and Peter both get up off the couch to go and greet them all.

  “Son…?” The woman - Sally - mutters under her breath. She stops in her tracks and looks Peter up and down for a second. On the other hand, Harley doesn’t even look at Peter twice. His hands are shoved into the pockets of his baggy jumper. 

  “For obvious reasons, I’d be grateful if you could keep this between us. It’s not exactly well known.” Dad explains.

  It could be annoying sometimes, having your existence be denied, but he understands why. Although in the grand scheme of things, it hasn’t really proven to be worth all the secrecy. All the baddies seem to find out about him anyway… It’s just something he has to live with. He can only imagine what it would be like if the world found out. People have told him enough stories about dad’s childhood - even if the man himself hasn’t. 

  “Nice to meet you.” Peter steps forward and holds his hand out to them both politely. After recovering, Sally steps forward and greets him with a warm smile but Harley’s hands stay firmly in his pockets.

  “Nice place.” He whistles and looks around at everything in the room, “Cleaner than I’d expected.” His mom jabs him in the side with her elbow but the boy doesn’t seem phased in the slightest.

  “Yeah well, I’m sure you’ll make it suitably messy soon enough.” Dad all but challenges him, giving Harley the once over.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll keep him in check.” Sally solemnly promises.

  “It’s fine. I know kids - they like making messes. Besides, I saw Harley’s old workspace. Anyway, the place is completely uninhabited so I don’t really care what he does.”

  “I can’t even begin to thank you.”

  “I already told you that you don’t need to worry. Although there is some stuff I’d like to talk to you about. I’m sure Peter could give Harley a tour while we talked.” Both Sally and dad look at the two boys expectantly.

  What is he supposed to say? He’s never had to give a tour before, not on his own. It’s not like he gets introduced to many strangers at home… 

  “Sure.” Peter looks over to Harley, awaiting his response.

  “Whatever.” He sighs, readjusting the backpack straps as carefully as he can. “Lead the way.” He nods towards Peter. 

  Although dad gives him an encouraging clap on the back as they walk past, he feels no more confident about the situation. How are you supposed to talk to people again? Robots he can talk to. Superheroes he can talk to. Shuri and Ned he can talk to. But anyone else?

  “Um...you...you’ve got...um...lots of bags. Would you...uh...like me to help?” Peter slows down slightly, sensing Harley strolling slowly behind him. 

  “Uh...thanks.” He quietly hands Peter the bag he had been dragging behind him.

  With sweaty palms, he takes the bag and tries to sling the strap over his shoulder. Instantly, he regrets it. The strap cuts through his shoulder, dragging him down. Even so, he can’t bring himself to put it down, he just keeps walking pretending it’s fine. If Harley can carry all those bags, he can manage just one. Just because he’s small and has glasses, doesn’t mean he can’t do anything. 

  “You okay?” Harley leans slightly closer to Peter, observing him closely.

  “I’m fine. I can manage.” He tries to act as confident as possible. It must be at least slightly convincing because Harley nods and raises his eyebrows slightly - almost impressed. “Although you’ll probably want to, uh, find a room... somewhere to put all these bags first.” He tries to readjust the bag strap in a way that will reduce pain but no amount of adjusting does anything. What’s in these bags.

  “That’s probably a good idea.” Harley starts moving and pulls ahead of Peter. “How many rooms are there?” He asks curiously, peeking around every doorway they walk past. So far, most of the rooms are pretty empty aside from the essential furniture.

  “There’s three. One for each of you.” Peter clears his throat and tries to pull ahead of the other boy. Unfortunately, Harley’s longer legs give him an unfair advantage over Peter.

  “So...um...is it just you and your mom coming? Your dad isn’t going to come?” Dad had mentioned the boy’s sister - apparently, she’s been staying in the hospital which is why the family has moved here - but nothing was ever mentioned about the dad.

  “You could say that again.” Harley chuffs casually but it’s hard to hide how he suddenly grits his teeth. “It’s hard to come when you ditched your family years ago.” 

  Instantly, Peter’s face flushes red. Of course, he’d only brought up the worst topic possible. If Harley didn’t hate him before he’s sure to hate him now. He should have known not to be so stupid...

  “Where did he go?” Peter risks the question anyway, apparently still not thinking straight. 

  “No idea. Just took off.” Harley shrugs but it looks stiff and tense. Although his hands are shoved in his pockets, Peter would be willing to bet they’re clenched into tight fists right now. 

  “I...uh...I lost my mom. When I was younger.” He’s not really sure what came over him to make him bring her up. It’s never been a subject he’s really spoken about before. People talk about her a lot but he’s never really been able to talk about her himself. It’s not like he has any memories. He just has the stories and pictures.

  Surprisingly, the tension in Harley’s shoulders lessens ever so slightly. And so Peter keeps on talking. 

  “I don’t really remember her because I was so little but dad and my aunt and uncle tell me stories about her sometimes. Apparently, she was a super-smart scientist like my dad. She actually married a different man right before she died - that’s why I don’t have either my mom or my dad’s last name.”

  “Do you like hearing the stories?”

  “Yeah. I do…” Even though he never met her, with every story he hears, a little piece of her seems to come to life.

  “No one ever talks about my dad. Sometimes it’s like he never existed.” Harley sighs quietly. 

  “Do you remember much of him?”

  “Not really. I remember him leaving. I remember waiting in my bedroom for him to come home and tuck me in but he never showed up.”

  “That’s awful.” He can’t even begin to imagine what that would feel like. To lay there and wait for someone that doesn’t care. For someone that will never show up. Dad might not have been there every single night to tuck him in but he never chose to leave him alone. 

  “I know I shouldn’t want to hear about him but I do sometimes.”

  “I’ve never told anyone but I keep pictures of her under my pillow. They're ones that me and J.A.R.V.I.S found while we were looking around in some old boxes once. I never even knew her but I keep the pictures anyway.” He’s not really sure why he felt the need to keep the pictures, it had just been an urge. Sometimes when no one was around he’d take them out and look through them.

  "So, uh, I bet you’ve met all the Avengers then." Harley clears his throat loudly.

  "Actually, no. I've met most of them but not all of them. Not all of them even know I exist." He’s not sure that Thor and Captain America will ever know he exists.

  "Really? Not even the Avengers know?" Harley chuffs.

  It’s weird for Peter to think about too. You’d think he would be used to it now but it still feels kind of strange. Considering everything he knows about Captain America through Aunt Peggy, dad, and the other Avengers, it’s strange to still be so distant from the man. 

  “Well, to be honest, they hardly see each other. Dad hadn't even met most of them before New York.” Everyone talks about them like they’re a close team but it couldn't be further from the truth. He was there. He saw what happened in New York. With the exception of Auntie Nat and Uncle Clint, dad had never met them - let alone trained with them.

  “I guess.” He shrugs, “What about Black Widow?” 

  “Auntie Nat? Yeah - I've met her. She used to be my dad's secretary.” Peter chuckles. With the exception of her fight with Happy when they first met, she'd seemed like a different person then. He can't imagine her ever being a secretary now, despite living through it. 

  “A secretary?” He frowns, “I bet she could beat everyone’s ass.”

  “When I first met her she beat Happy up.”

  “The driver?”

  “Head of security.” Happy had been pretty vocal about his job change. Somehow, he managed to worm the title into almost every conversation. To be honest, he’s not really sure what the difference between the two jobs is. So far, from what he’s seen, nothing has really changed - not that Peter would ever say anything. 

  “Wow. She’s awesome. What about Bruce Banner? We learned about him in class...” The end of his sentence trails off slightly as he loses himself in his own head.

  “Uh, yeah. I only met him after New York when he moved in to work on things with dad. He lives the floor below this one, actually.” Dad hadn’t wanted to put Bruce too high up so they’d chosen to house him in the lowest of the apartments - not that it really made any difference. At this height, it is all the same. 

  “Really? What about Steve? Does he live here?” Even though he hears Aunt Peggy call him Steve all the time, it takes Peter a few seconds to realise who Harley is talking about. In his head, he'll always be Captain America. 

  “Nah, he’s off traveling or something...I’ve never even met him.”

  “You haven’t? I thought you would have.”

  “It is a bit. I’ve met Peggy Carter though - we were actually visiting her in the hospital when dad saw you guys.”

  “I bet you have so many cool toys of them all.”

  “I used to.”

  “What happened to them?”

  “I kind of threw them away.” Although at the time, throwing all the stuff away had seemed like a good idea, he does regret it now. Most of them were presents from Aunt Peggy after all. Besides, he’d made his peace with what had happened. He’s not even sure if he was ever really angry with them. Almost losing Auntie Nat had shown him that. 

  “You threw them away? But you could have probably got them all signed or something.”

  “That would be hard considering I’ve never met him… But it was a bit of a stupid idea.”

  "You've really never met him." 

  "I told you, I'm top secret." Peter holds his head up high as if it's something to be proud of.

  After a second, he clears his throat and comes to a stop, looking at the set of bedrooms coming off of this corridor. They'd been walking so slowly he'd almost forgotten what they were supposed to be doing here. 

  "These are the bedrooms. There are three to choose from." He points to each of the three doors around them. Two are on one side and the other is the opposite.

  "Which one’s mine?" Harley opens one of the doors, peering in through the doorway to inspect the room. 

  "You can choose. That one and the one next to it have the best view. You can see all of New York beneath you."

  Peter loves that view. As much as he loved the Malibu home he'd spent so much of his life in, the view of New York is his favourite. There's something weirdly beautiful about the mess of buildings and people. It might not be traditionally beautiful, but Peter loves it. It's the polar opposite of the peaceful, desolate and natural view of the sea back in Malibu. 

  Against what Peter had been expecting, Harley doesn't choose either of the rooms he'd had pointed out. He doesn't even bother looking at the other room with the view. He just goes straight to the room without the view, dragging his bag behind him. Even so, Peter stays quiet, following him into the room.

  “You can dump the bag on the bed.” Harley points to the double bed that’s on the opposite side of the room to the door.

  Other than the bed, the room is almost completely empty. The only other things is the wardrobe standing beside the door. The clean white walls certainly don’t help the empty look. Thankfully, there’s a small window above the window, giving a view of the cloudless sky above them, to break up the whiteness.

  Cautiously, Peter walks over to the bed and hoists the bag up onto it. The mattress caves under the weight, a huge dip forming. What the hell is in the bag? He can’t help but peek in, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it is.

  “It’s fine - you can look. I need to get them out of the bags at some point anyway.” Harley doesn’t even need to look at Peter to know. Once again, Peter flushes red. He pushes his glasses up in an attempt to hide his face.

  Even so, he curiously unzips the bag and pulls out a huge assortment of different devices. He can’t even tell what half of them do. 

  “Woah! Is that an electric yo-yo!” He can’t contain himself as he grabs the bulky looking yo-yo from the bag. Despite the situation, he slips it on and tries it out. 

  “Uh, yeah. I made it myself.” Harley puts down the gadgets he’s been holding and comes over to Peter. “Mom didn’t exactly approve.” Peter isn’t surprised. Mom would definitely confiscate it if it was Peter’s.

  “It’s so cool!”

  “Thanks. Make sure you don’t tell her I kept it.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll stay quiet.” Peter nods seriously, “What else do you have?” He grins widely. It’s strange, he’d been so anxious a few seconds ago but suddenly it’s like none of that even matters. 

  “Take a look at this.”

  They don’t end up doing a tour or anything. In fact, they just sit in Harley’s new room for the entire hour. Surprisingly, Harley doesn’t seem to get bored of just sitting there explaining everything to Peter. 

  “I can’t believe you made these all by yourself.”

  “It’s nothing special…” Harley blushes and puts the pocket-sized repulsor gun he’d been holding back down on the floor, “I'm sure you’ve made cooler stuff with your dad.” 

  “Normally I just help with whatever he’s making. Although me and my friend Shuri sometimes make things together.” Most of the time they stay out of the lab when Shuri is here but there have been a few times where the two of them have snuck into the lab to work on a project. Nothing as fancy as what Harley’s made.“If you’re staying here then you can come work in the lab too. I’m sure dad wouldn’t mind.”

  “I don’t really know how long we’ll be staying.”

  “Are you going to go to school here?”

  “I don’t know. Nothing’s been sorted out yet. It wasn’t really well planned out…”

  “You should come to my school! It’s across town in Queens  but you can come in with me every day.” He suddenly lets himself get excited. If Harley came to school with him he could introduce Harley to Ned. Neither of them would turn down another friend. Besides, it would be nice to have someone at school that he doesn't need to lie to. 

  “Why do you go to school in Queens?”

  “No one’s supposed to know who I actually live with so everyone thinks I live with my aunt and uncle in Queens.” Peter shrugs. Sometimes he genuinely does go to Aunt May and Uncle Ben’s after school. He’s even brought Ned there a few times but their flat is much smaller than Ned’s so it’s not something they often do. 

  “That could be fun.” The boy says it quietly, looking down at the ground. It’s almost impossible to see the tiny, warm smile playing across his lips. 

  It seems dad had been having the same idea, as him and Sally had enrolled Harley into Peter’s school without the two boys even needing to bring it up. 

  “Are you two boys going to be okay?” Sally is crouched down in front of Harley. 

  “We’ll be fine.” Harley rolls his eyes and shoves his hands into his jean pockets.

  Despite going to school, he still looks like he just got out of bed. He’s made no effort to brush his hair and his clothes are baggy and scruffy. Peter’s not exactly sure what he’d been expecting - he’d seen how the boy tends to dress - but he’s so used to people putting some amount of effort into their appearance at school. 

  “I’ll take care of him!”

  “Whatever.” Harley looks away from both of them but can’t hide his pink cheeks. For no reason in particular, Peter finds himself grinning.  

  “Thank you, Peter.” Sally smiles warmly. 

  “Come on, Harley.” Peter hoists his backpack further up his shoulders. “Happy is going to drive us in.” He looks over at Happy who is standing impatiently in the elevator.

  Happy hasn’t been a chauffeur for a long time now, but even so, he makes a point to take Peter in every day. If they were able to, he’s sure mom or dad would do it but they’re far more noticeable than Happy, even if they’re driving a beaten-down car. Not that Peter minds, he enjoys the drives - even if he drives Happy nuts the whole way there and back. 

  “Sup.” Harley nods to Happy.

  “You boys better get down to the car right now. I don’t have all day to waste driving you around.” Despite his stern attitude, Peter knows Happy well enough by now to see through it. There’s definitely a part of him enjoys that the mundane task. 

  “Don’t worry, we’re going. Come on.” Although Peter hurries through towards the elevator, Harley takes his sweet time. All of them can see him watching Happy but he takes his time anyway. Pushing the boundaries ever so slightly.

  “We’re going to be late.”

  “Eh.” Harley shrugs but speeds up ever so slightly - if only for Peter’s benefit. Unfortunately, he can guarantee that Ned will be waiting outside the school for him. Hopefully, they don’t end up being late…

  “I’m the head of security…” Happy’s eyes flutter shut as he whispers under his breath. Chanting it like a mantra.

  Finally, Harley steps into the elevator and Happy smashes the button for the basement. The doors slide shut quietly, trapping Happy in with them. 

  “Peter said that Black Widow beat you up.” 

  “Did he now? Well, then I’m sure you know I was going easy on her.” Peter can’t hold back his laughter. “I thought she was just your usual secretary at the time.” Happy has to speak over the laughter, his ears tinted pink.

  “What was it like getting beaten up?”

  “It was...well...you know, it was fine.”

  “Did it hurt?” Harley hums as if he doesn’t know what he’s doing.

  “It...well of course it hurt. She’s Black Widow.” He clenches his jaw and just stares ahead.

  “How long have you been Tony’s driver?”

  “I’m not actually his driver, but I’ve known him since he was a teenager.” He can’t imagine Happy and dad not knowing each other. Happy is as much a part of the family as mom or dad.

  “If your not his driver, why are you driving?”

  “Do you always ask so many questions? You’re worse than Peter.” Happy sighs and finally looks at Harley. As usual, the boy’s hands are shoved in his pockets, his hood pulled up to cover his scruffy hair.

  “Normally.”

  “Fantastic.” Peter can practically see Happy’s knuckles turning white.

  “Do you like being a driver?”

  “Oh, look, we’re here. Time to get off now.” Happy doesn’t even wait for the doors to fully open before squeezing out of the enclosed space and into the garage on the other side of the door. Peter and Harley follow after him with considerably less enthusiasm.

  “He’s always like this.” Peter nudges Harley’s shoulder, grinning. Of course, he feels a bit bad for the man but that doesn’t make winding him up less fun.

  “I bet.” He smirks at the ground, “So which car is ours?” He lifts his head up to scan the room full of expensive-looking cars. 

  “This one.” Harley’s eyes skim over all of dad’s fancy cars, and finally land on the old black car they’re driving in. Happy is stood in front of the car, holding open the car’s back door.

  “Of course we don’t get to drive one of the fun cars.” Harley sighs as Peter clambers in.

  Most of the time he drives in this car. When they’re in Malibu dad will drive him around in the faster cars, but when they’re actually traveling it’ll either be in this car or one of the posh black cars that Happy usually drives. 

  “We’d draw too much attention, kid. Now get in.” Happy waves Harley into the car impatiently. Obviously, that’s an invitation for Harley to take his sweet time getting in, constantly looking over at Happy mischievously. The second he steps in, Happy shuts the door on them. 

  “Do you ever get to drive the cool cars?” Harley holds onto the back of the passenger seat and leans forwards towards Happy.

  “Sometimes.” Happy blatantly lies. Dad wouldn’t trust Happy with the fast cars- he always drives them too slow (according to dad). There’s no way he can picture Happy driving in a sports car.

  “Dad is the only one who drives fast cars.” The best times are the ones when they get to ride in dad’s cars. Although those are always better when you’re out of the city.

  “I drive cool cars too.”

  “He drives those super posh cars you see people driving. They look like limo’s but they’re short.” They’re not exactly cool but Peter quite likes them and Happy definitely prefers them to anything dad drives. 

  “Ah, those ones.”

  “At least those cars separate the passengers and the driver…” Happy hisses under his breath. Peter opens his mouth to respond but Happy revs the engine loudly, drowning out any thoughts either of the boys had. 

  “So what’s this school like?” Harley turns to Peter, giving Happy a break. 

  “Uh, it’s good. Everyone’s really nice. I’ve got lots of friends…” He clears his throat and tries to sound as confident as possible - imitating dad in interviews. If Happy notices anything wrong, he doesn’t react. Harley, on the other hand, instantly narrows his eyes but doesn’t push any further. 

  “Are you often late.”

  “Yeah….” He casually rubs the back of his neck. Living so far from school definitely puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to getting to school in time. By now the teachers are all used to it. They could probably just leave earlier to avoid all the rush but no one except mum is ever up and ready in time. 

  It’s lucky for them that there’s very little traffic between the tower and the school today. Most of the time, school days are incredibly busy and the traffic is a nightmare. _Maybe Happy wished really really hard and all the traffic vanished_ …

  Without all the traffic holding them back, they’re not late as they pull up around the corner from the school. Considering it’s Harley’s first day, it’s lucky they’re not late. Mr. Davis would definitely make a fuss if they both showed up late - especially considering Harley’s attire.

  “Look, both of you be careful. Make sure you’re not late on the first day.” Happy turns around to address them.

  “We’ll be okay.” Despite himself, he jumps forward in the car and wraps his arms around Happy’s neck. Even if Happy acts all grumpy, he’ll never be able to resist a hug. Sure enough, he hugs back gently. Peter might annoy the man sometimes but they’re family - at least as far as Peter is concerned. 

  Even as he hugs the man, he can feel the effects that the explosion had. Happy’s shoulder blades cut into him in a way they never used to before. Sometimes they can pretend it never happened and that Happy wasn’t in a coma, but Peter can still see him lying on the hospital bed. The same way dad was after his surgery. It seems he’s been spending way too much time in hospitals recently. 

  “Have a good day at school kid.” He whispers into Peter’s ear.

  “I will.” 

  “If you don’t want to be late you better get out. You still need to walk to the front gates.” Happy pulls away first, prying Peter off of him. 

  “Come on.” Harley’s door is on the side of the road beside the sidewalk so he gets out first, beckoning Peter. “What way are we going?”

  “Just over there.” He points towards the trail of cars moving up the road. “It’s not too far, we’ll be fine.”

  Despite the situation they don’t bother running, taking their time instead. They might be late but running isn’t exactly going to make a whole lot of difference. Not when they’re so close to the school. Besides, they can still see other kids drifting in towards the school so how late can they be.

  “Ned’s going to be so annoyed.”

  “Who’s Ned?”

  “He’s my friend. We always walk into school together so he’ll be waiting outside for us.”

  “So what’s the school really like.”

  “Well...it’s school. I’m short, wear glasses and supposedly live in a poor household. Take your guess.”

  “You’ve got your Ned though?” Harley gives a small smile. Somehow, it seems like the most genuine smile so far. 

  “Yeah, I’ve got Ned.” He might not be the most popular person in school - he’s as far as can be - but he doesn’t really mind. If all these people don’t like him because they think he’s poor then he wouldn’t want to be friends with them anyway. Who else other than Ned would stay up late building lego with him?

  They round the corner and approach the last stretch to the school. They can see the grimy looking building waiting for them, swarmed by students and parents. Amongst them all, Peter spots a familiar red-cheeked face.

  “Hey, Peter! You’re running late!” Ned waves and jogs towards them enthusiastically. As soon as he catches sight of Harley walking at Peter’s side he slows to a stop, narrowing his eyes. 

  “I know...we were slowing getting into the car.”

  “Who -” Ned stares at Harley, brow furrowed.

  “We’re going to be late.” Harley interrupts calmly. There’s no hint of worry at all. Peter’s willing to bet he said it more for Peter’s sake than anything else.

  “It’ll be fine. We’ll lead the way.” Peter nudges Ned encouragingly.

  “Uh, yeah…” Ned nods, dazed

  He knows Ned must be wondering about Harley but they don't really have time to talk it through right now. Not if they want to get in on time. He'll just have to introduce them at lunch. 

  Thankfully, after running through the corridors and crowds, they actually make it in time. Peter and Ned slink off to their seats as Mr. Davis holds Harley back at the front of the class. 

  “Good morning class. We have a new student today: Harley Keener.” Mr. Davis announces to the class from the front of the room. “You want to introduce yourself?”

  “Uh...okay.” Harley’s eyes dart around the sea of faces before settling on Peter. Sensing the nervousness, Peter subtly gives him a thumbs up and a small smile. “My name is Harley and I’ve moved here from Tennessee a few days ago.” Everyone sits silently, waiting for him to continue but he doesn’t say a thing. 

  “Is that it?” Harley doesn’t bother responding. Instead, he heads over to one of the free desks near the back of the room. One that coincidentally happens to be right beside Peter’s.

  Unlike Peter, he doesn’t bother opening his bag to get out any paper or pens, he just slumps over on the desk and chucks his backpack onto the floor beside him. He doesn’t even bother looking over at Peter. 

  “Hey, do you need paper and pens?” He leans over as whispers as quietly as he can.

  “Nah, I’m good.” He grabs a crumpled up sheet of paper and a biro from his jumper pocket. He doesn’t even bother flattening out the sheet as he chucks it down on the desk.

  “You sure?” 

  “It’s not like it matters.”

  “Mr. Parker, Mr. Keener. Is there something you’d like to share with the class?” Mr. Davis crosses his arms and taps his foot. “It’s not even been a minute.” 

  “Sorry, sir.”

  “Make sure it doesn’t happen again.” 

  As soon as Mr. Davis turns back around to face the board the boy in front of Peter - Eugene - turns to face Peter. Peter tries to ignore the boy’s vicious smirk but it’s difficult.

  Peter finds himself having to work twice as hard through the rest of the lesson to make it up. However judging by the emptiness of Harley’s paper, the other boy had felt no such need. Even Eugene does the work despite being a prick most of the time. 

  When they're finally dismissed for lunch, Harley automatically follows behind Peter and Ned. He doesn't even bother looking at the other people in the room. 

  “You don't have to come sit with us you know.” He says as they stumble through the school corridors, haphazardly. 

  “You don't want me to come?”

  “No, it's not that. It's just…well...we’re not the most popular kids in school.”

  “Move it, Parker.” Eugene knocks into Peter as he walks by, perfectly illustrating Peter's point. 

  From what he's seen, Harley could probably make some good friends here but that's certainly not going to happen if he hangs out with Peter and Ned - the lowest on the food chain.

  “Is that it? Well then, why don’t we go find a table.” He shrugs and walks right past Ned and Peter.

  Both of them stop, looking at one another. Did he really still want to hang out with them? Eugene and the others were going to have a field day tearing the three of them apart.

  “You coming?” Harley turns and stops in the middle of the corridor, earning some disgruntled mumbles from the people around them. 

  “Uh, yeah. We’re coming.” Peter grabs onto Ned’s sleeve and drags him behind them towards the cafeteria. They have to jog to catch up with the other boy who is traversing the crowds with ease.

  “So it’s Harley, right?” Ned pants when they’ve finally caught up with Harley.

  “Yeah.”

  “How do you know Peter then? He’s never mentioned you before…” Peter hadn’t even realised that he’d never properly introduced the other boy. Aside from the appearance of him in the morning and his introduction in class, Ned knew nothing about him.

  “His family is living with mine until they find a place to live.” He doesn’t want to lie to Ned if he doesn’t have to. It’s hard enough having to lie about his parentage - he doesn’t want to further complicate things with even more lies. Then it just becomes hard to keep track of everything. Despite everything, he’s never been the best at keeping secrets. 

  “Living with you? In your aunt and uncle’s apartment?” Ned narrows his eyes, doing the math in his head.

  Aunt May and Uncle Ben’s flat might be able to fit four people at a squeeze but a whole other family would be unreasonable. They’d all have to cram into ‘Peter’s room’, or sleep in the living room. He’d completely forgotten that Ned was still believed Peter lived in their apartment. 

  “Uh, well, it’s just me and my mom. It doesn’t feel as cramped as it sounds. It’s better than sleeping in the hotel room we’d been staying in before.” Harley jumps in and saves the situation without breaking a sweat. 

  “If you say so.” Ned brushes it off with a casual shrug and Peter can breathe a sigh of relief. He should make a note to thank Harley later when they get back home. “Why are you living with them though?”

  “We had personal business here in the city and Peter’s family are...family friends, I guess.”

  “How long do you think you’ll be staying?”

  “Not really sure, depends on my mom. She’s the one who decides. Still not found any work here though so who knows.”

  He's not blinded to the world, he knows how most people live their lives through his aunt and uncle. Most people don't have the luxuries he does. Even so, he can't imagine living like that. Staying in a hotel without income and with hospital bills to pay. Even if he isn't spoiled, he certainly feels that way. None of it seems fair. 

  “Well, Peter’s aunt and uncle are super nice. They’ll help out, I’m sure.” Ned says with utter confidence. It takes Peter a back. When did he gain this kind of respect for Aunt May and Uncle Ben? It’s not like he’s met them that many times - although whenever he has they’ve been very welcoming. He’s certainly not wrong though.

  “Yeah, they’re nice.”

  As usual, Peter leads them to the most secluded table in the room. Lunchtimes are so much more bearable when Eugene and the likes haven't got them in their sights. Most days, as long as their heads are down, things tend to be fine. 

  “What you doing Parker?” But of course, today isn't one of those days. 

  “Eating lunch.”

  “You hanging out with your boyfriend.” Eugene nods to Harley. Unlike Peter, he's sat up straight, looking Eugene right in the eyes. 

  Considering how mom is dad's girlfriend, Peters not really sure why Harley being his boyfriend would be an insult - not that he is. However, the cackles would suggest otherwise. 

  “Please leave us alone, Eugene.” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. There’s nothing he can do to make them leave him alone. Everything he does only seems to make them come after him more.

  “It's Flash to you.” Ugh, that stupid nickname he gave himself. No one knows why he insists on giving himself the name. Maybe he just thought his own name sucked. 

  “Leave us alone, _Flash_.” He tries to hold back a sigh. 

  “Did your mommy pack you lunch. Oh, wait...she can’t.” Flash ignores him, leaning forward to try and look into Peter’s lunch bag.

  Despite himself, he instinctively grabs onto his lunch bag and backpack to pull them out of view. Of course, his awful luck kicks in and the backpack opens as he moves it. All of the contents of his bag are put on display to the bully - including the mini repulsor he made as a kid. As stupid as it is to bring the thing to school, he’s been doing it for years now. It’s a habit more than anything - it’s not like he’s ever gotten it out. 

  “Ohhhh, what’s this Parker?” Flash grins, grabbing the repulsor out of his bag, “Did you make it yourself? I’m surprised your aunt and uncle could afford even these materials.” He feels his cheeks warm. 

  He doesn’t understand why it’s always like this. Why can’t Flash find someone else to pick on? Why does his Aunt and Uncle’s income even matter? Why does Peter’s parentage have anything to do with anything? If Flash knew the truth he would take it all back, but just because he thinks Peter is poor he acts this way. 

  If there’s anything he’s learned, it’s that money means absolutely nothing. His aunt and Uncle are some of the best people he knows. They’re worlds better than Flash. Even if he did live with them, it would be nothing to be ashamed of. So why does he feel so awful? Why do Flash’s words and laughs make him want to crawl under the covers?

  “Give it back.” Ned stands up, resting his fist on the table.

  “What are you going to do? Chase me?” Flash looks at each of his friends to make sure they’re still laughing. At once, Ned sits back down and tries to cover his face. 

  Those words make his blood boil. It’s all he can do to sit there, closed-eyed with his jaw clenched. As much as he’d love to punch him in the face, it would just get him in trouble. Then they’d call Aunt May and she’d have to explain it to dad. In truth, Flash isn’t worth all the trouble. Not worth all the questions. 

  “I think I’ll keep it for now.” He throws the repulsor up in the air, just about managing to catch it again. “Come on. Let’s go.” He nudges his friends, leading them away from Peter, Harley, and Ned and back to their table.

  “I’m sorry, Peter.” Ned bites his lip without looking at Peter.

  “It’s okay.”

  “You’re just going to let him leave?” Harley looks between Peter and Ned, frowning.

  “What can we do?” Ned mumbles and stares down at his food again. It’s not like they don’t _want_ to do something. Unfortunately, the school wouldn’t be on their side.

  “Flash’s parents are super-rich. They’d call up the school and make a big hassle.”

  “Still… Doesn’t your family know about this.” They both know he’s asking about dad. Trying to work out why Peter wouldn’t use his own family the same way Flash does.

  “I don’t want to make them worry. I can deal with it.” As annoying as it is, he can deal with it. He’s dealt with much worse. Compared to the others, Flash is nothing. He’s hardly even threatening. 

  “Didn’t you have kids like that in your old school?”

  “Everyone does…” Harley says it quietly under his breath. Was Harley bullied too? From what Peter’s seen, he can’t imagine that anything Flash or the others could do or say would bother Harley. It’s not like he cares very much about things.

  “Exactly.” Ned sighs with slumped shoulders.

  Despite everything, him and Peter both go back to their lunches, heads hanging low. By now they’ve made their peace with it. It’s fine. Harley, on the other hand, does no such thing. Instead, he stands up and turns towards Flash’s table.

  “What are you doing?” Ned grabs onto Harley’s arm before he can go and do something stupid, reckless or dramatic - most likely all three of those things.

  “Going to get it back.”

  “You can’t just go over there.” Peter hisses.

  “Why not?”

  “It’s not worth the trouble. Just leave it…” As much as he’d like to have the repulsor back, it’s just not worth it. Besides, it was old and mostly broken anyway. It’s not like they don’t have money to replace it. Heck, he could make a better version now anyway. It doesn’t matter if he’s sentimental.

  Instead of sitting back down and eating, Harley pulls his wrist out of Ned’s grip. Neither of them can stop him from sauntering right over to Flash’s table with the confidence of Iron Man or Black Widow. Okay, _maybe_ Peter could get up and drag Harley back to the table, but he stays sitting at the table anyway. Maybe Flash doesn’t always need to win... 

  “What are you doing?” Flash scowls up at Harley who’s towering above him.  

  “I’m taking this back.” He casually takes one of his hands out of his pocket to grab the repulsor which is just lying on the table. No one makes a move to stop him. Everyone just sits there as he casually throws it up in the air and catches it with ease. 

  “You can’t just take it back!” Flash pushes himself out of his chair so it slides backwards loudly, commanding silence.  
  “Why not?” Harley stares Flash dead in the eyes, still throwing the repulsor just out of Flash’s reach.

   It’s almost like watching a dog and a wolf face off. Sure, the dog might have been big news when it can bark for its master, but why would the wolf care? Peter doesn’t even bother hiding his smile. It might be kind of reckless but it certainly feels good for a change. 

  “I’ll...I’ll tell my dad!” Flash scrambles for words, looking around at his goons desperately. None of them are doing anything to help. In fact, they’re all staring at Flash, waiting for him to do anything.

  “Okay.” He shrugs, turning away and heading back to Peter and Ned.

  “Hey!” Flash yells out and takes a step towards Harley. For the first time, Harley stops moving and turns to face Flash. 

  “What are you going to do? Take it back?” He even holds out his hand towards Flash, daring him closer. Instead of watching Harley, he scans the room once more for allies but there is still no one. Everyone is just sitting and watching curiously. In a final burst of anger, Flash reaches forward to take it back but Harley moves it out of reach with ease.“That’s what I thought…”

  Without looking back again, he goes and takes his seat beside Peter again. Flash is still stood there in the middle of the cafeteria, watching Harley with clenched fists. And yet he doesn’t try to come over to the table. In fact, he turns around and storms back to his own table.

  “Woah! I can’t believe you did that!” Even though Ned is whispering, the room is so quiet it sounds much louder. 

  “He was nothing. Pretty pathetic really.” He hands the repulsor back to Peter, “Here you go.”

  “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.” His hands cradle the old device. As silly as it is to be attached to the thing, he’s beyond grateful for what Harley did.

  Turning it over in his hands, he takes it in. Over the years it’s picked up some wear and tear. It looks slightly beaten up and tattered in places probably from being shoved into his school bag every day. A few more bumps or scrapes wouldn’t do any harm anymore but he holds it protectively anyway. 

  “I know, but not everyone sucks.”

 

  Flash doesn’t stop glaring holes through Harley for the rest of the day. Whenever the teacher turns away to write on the board or look at something, he resumes his glare. Even so, Harley acts exactly as he had been before - which in this case means lying on the desk, not listening to a word being said. 

  Flash even follows them as they leave the building at the end of the day, hissing words under his breath. He keeps on hissing all the way to the fancy BMW parked outside the school building.

  Peter would be lying if he said every second didn’t make him smile. Who knew it could feel so good? If only he could get a photo of this moment. 

  “You know, I hope you stick around.” Ned grins and claps Harley on the back.

  “Thanks.” Peter just about catches the edges of Harley’s lips upturning. It might be small but it makes him just as happy as seeing Flash storming around. 

  The three of them stand on the street corner side by side. Together they watch the crowds of people bustling around as they wait for their rides. For once it’s nice to not be hassled by people as they wait outside the gates. He’d forgotten how it felt to not be staring over his shoulder. 

  “Hey boys.” Aunt May steps out of the crowd. Why is she here? Hadn’t Happy said he’d be coming to pick him and Harley up today?

  “Aunt May,” Ned speaks first, stepping in front of all of them to greet her. 

  “Hello, Ned. Good day?” She smiles and gives him a quick hug.

  They haven’t spent a huge amount of time together but they’ve always gotten on pretty well. Honestly, he feels bad for not spending more time with her and Uncle Ben. They’re always the first people to call and check up on him without fail. 

  “Yep!”

  “That’s good to hear.” She releases Ned to go hug Peter, smoothing down his hair gently. “I thought we could walk today - is that okay with you boys?” She winks ever so slightly.

  “Yeah, that’s fine.” Peter nods over-enthusiastically. 

  “Come on then. Goodbye Ned.”

  “Bye!” Ned waves them off happily.

  “See you tomorrow!” Peter feels kind of bad for leaving Ned there alone as they all go off together but there isn’t too much of an option. At least Ned doesn’t seem too bothered.

  Peter walks by her side, watching Harley follow a few steps behind them. Once again, his hands are shoved in his pockets, his hair hanging over his eyes.

  “Your car’s parked around the corner. I had the afternoon off so I thought I would come by and say hello, introduce myself. Ben wanted to come but he had double shifts.”

  Again? It’s more and more common to see them working double shifts nowadays. Neither of them ever act like they’re bothered but they work themselves to the bone. No matter how much dad tries to help them out, they’ll never accept. He can see why, but it hurts to see them like this. 

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Harley.” 

  “I’m Peter’s Aunt: May. You and Peter are both welcome around ours anytime. I know you’ll probably spend most of your time at the tower but the offer stands. It might not be big or fancy but the door is open.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Her old flip phone starts ringing obnoxiously, making Aunt May roll her eyes, “I’m sorry, I need to leave now.” She hisses through gritted teeth. Her eyes flutter closed and she takes a deep, soothing breath.

  With her eyes closed, she looks much older than she really is. Her bright eyes are underlined by heavy, dark bags. Alongside her overly slim face and body, she looks like she’s at least in her thirties.

  “Make sure you get lots of rest.”

  “You’re such a mother. You don’t need to worry about me, you should be worrying about school or whatever it is kids your age worry about.” She chuckles loudly, her eyes sparkling brightly. Even if the rest of her looks tired and stressed, her eyes are still full of life.

  “It was lovely meeting you Harley.”

  “You too.”

  “And stay out of trouble, both of you.” She bends down and kisses Peter’s cheek, “I think Happy is waiting for you.” She nods over to the car that’s parked nearest them. Sure enough, they can see the man sat in the driver’s seat, rubbing his hands together. 

  Neither of them make a move towards the car as they watch Aunt May walk away, her hands shoved deep into her coat pockets. 

  “So you didn’t tell your dad?” Harley asks quietly, still watching her receding figure. Peter scrunches up his forehead for a second until he remembers the lunchtime situation. 

  “Uhh, no...it’s...it’s not important.” 

  “Not important?” Harley crosses his arms and arches his eyebrow. Somehow he has the same disapproving face as dad does.  

  “There’s already enough on his plate.”

  “I’m sure he’d like to know.”

  “I know…” He sighs, hoping this conversation will end soon. Nothing Harley says is anything Peter doesn’t already know.

  “You should tell him at some point.”

  “One day maybe…”

  “What are you boys whispering about?” Happy finally rolls down the window and sticks his head out.

  “Nothing much. 

  “Get in the car.” He sighs dramatically and retreats back inside the warmth of the car. 

  Neither of them bring up school again as they sit together in the car. They resort to mundane chatter about nothing, making Happy rolls his eyes. 

  When they finally pull up at the tower, all of them split off, going their own way. Happy gets off the elevator first, heading to his new work station in the security offices.

  Then it comes to Harley’s stop at his apartment. 

  "See you tomorrow morning, Peter." He gives Peter a small wave and smile as he steps out, his backpack hanging off of one arm. 

  Last, it's Peter’s turn. When he steps into the apartment, he's greeted by emptiness. He's not exactly surprised, mom is never home at this time and dad actually does work too - even if he's not running the company anymore. 

  "Dad?" He shouts out anyway, just in case, but there's no reply. 

  Sighing, he makes his way towards the lab. Sure enough, as he gets closer he can hear the music playing in the lab, drowning out the silence of the apartment. 

  “Hey, dad.” He steps into the lab, taking off his backpack and chucking it onto the couch. He kicks off his shoes as well, leaving them next to Dad's.

  Dad doesn’t look up, still focused on the small metal device in front of him. How long has he been hunched over the worktable like that? There’s a bag of crisps and a sandwich with one bite taken out of it sitting beside him, abandoned. Even the coffee mug is full and the coffee cold.

  “Hey, Sparky. How was school?” Dad finally looks up at him as he takes his seat on the stool. He doesn’t do anything to stop Peter from reaching over and stealing some of the crisps right out of the bag.

  In his head, he hears Harley’s voice. This would be a good time to tell him. To bring up _‘Flash’_ and the others. But he already knows he won’t do that. He’d rather just enjoy this time. While he’s here at home, school is a world away. 

  “Uh...well. It was good.” He nods and smiles as brightly as he can. Technically he’s not lying - it was good. There have certainly been worse days.

  “That’s good to hear. Did Harley enjoy it?” Now he’s pulled himself away from his work, he reaches over to take a swig of coffee, his nose scrunching up. Despite that he keeps drinking, pushing through the unpleasant temperature.

  “He seemed to like it. Ned likes him.”

  “Ned sounds like a good kid.”

  “I wish you could meet him.”

  “One day. For now, your stories are enough.” Dad ruffles his hair absentmindedly. “Do you want to help me?” He grins and holds up the small device that looks like some kind of repulsor part.

  “Yeah!” Time spent with dad, working, is always his favourite. Ever since he started school, the amount of time he can spend here has been going down. He misses the days when they could spend all day down here together.

  At least dad seems to be getting better now, though. He’s still spending a lot of time down here but nowhere near as much as he was spending during the summer. Peter’s not really sure what changed but something did after the Mandarin. 

  “Can you hold this for me?” He hands Peter the device and grabs a huge hunk of metal from across the counter. It’s still open with the wiring visible under the paneling. 

  “What are you working on now?” It looks like some kind of gauntlet but nothing like any of the ones he destroyed. It’s much bigger and bulkier. 

  “A new project that Bruce requested.” “You could probably hook this up yourself now. It’s not too advanced.” Dad slides the gauntlet over.

  “Me?”

  “Sure, why not. You’re a smart kid. It’ll give me time to start on the other one.” 

  “You trust me?”

  “Course.”

  He looks down at the ground to hide his smile. He can't explain why that makes him so happy. Why this warmth is surrounding him. 

  He has to make dad proud. Instantly, he puts away any thoughts of school or Harley or the bullies. If he wants to do well he needs to focus. All the other things fade into the distance, completely meaningless now. 

  This is where he belongs.

 

  It doesn’t take long for the Keeners to slip into their day to day life. Despite them living a few floors apart, he doesn’t actually go down to visit the family that often. With the exception of the day they spent decorating Harley’s room when they hang out they stay up in the Stark penthouse. 

  Even though the door to the lab is always open for Harley, the other boy rarely joins them. In fact, he seems to prefer working alone in his own room most of the time. That's not to say he never joins them, there are times when he'll come up after school and tinker with them although he's always long gone by the time Peter and dad start to head off to bed. 

  Since Peter rarely goes to the Keener's apartment, he's never actually met the other family member before. Rosie. There have been times when he's wanted to ask about the boy’s sister but it never seemed to be a good time. Besides, he didn't want to alienate one of his few friends. However, Mom had casually mentioned in passing that the girl was going to be out of hospital again for Harley's birthday which was drawing ever nearer. 

  Although they'd mentioned the party several times, it's a real wake up call. The birthday is only a day away and he hasn't really prepared anything. There's a small gift wrapped up and hidden in his closet but other than that, he hasn't done anything for his friend. Not even a card. 

  “Dad...I was wondering if we could bake Harley a cake.” He mumbles, his head resting on the cold metal countertop. He's been trying to wrack his brain the whole time dad has been working but this is all that comes to mind. 

  “A cake. Sure, how hard can it be?” He shrugs and sets his screwdriver down on the countertop, “Do you have a recipe book?”

  “Uh, no. Not yet.” He rubs the back of his neck, "It was just an idea. I don't really have a plan or anything…" 

  “That’s fine, I’m sure we can find something in the kitchen. Mom keeps books somewhere…” His words trail off. 

  “I could locate a recipe for you sir.”

  “Thanks, J.” Dad rolls up his oily sleeves and claps his hands together. “You ready, kid?”

  “Uh, yeah.” He sits up straight, grinning. 

  Together they set up the kitchen according to J.A.R.V.I.S' instructions. Peter has to climb on one of the kitchen stools to reach the eggs at the top of the fridge while dad's back is turned only to instantly be caught and scolded. From then on he has to stand to the side and watch dad bustle around the kitchen humming ACDC. 

  “Can I crack the eggs?” He hops up onto the kitchen stool again so he can see what's happening on the counter. Everything has been gathered now and is just waiting to be used. 

  “Hey, what did I say about stools?”

  “But I'm too short to see!” He whines and slumps down so the top half of his body is lying on the countertop. 

  “Fine but don't fall off and die.” Dad rolls his eyes and goes back to organising the ingredients and equipment. 

  “I won't.” He stands to attention just like Uncle Rhoey taught him. “So can I do the eggs?”

  “Fine, but we've got to ‘cream’ the butter and sugar first." Dad grabs the spoon and points it centimeters away from Peter's forehead. 

  “Okay, okay. How do we do that?”

  “I dunno. I assume you just mix them together...right?” Dad shrugs his shoulders, dumping the weighed out sugar and butter into a bowl with a splat.

  “I thought you could cook.” Peter snorts. Dad always makes a big deal about his cooking but it certainly doesn’t sound like anything impressive right now. 

  “I _can_ cook...but baking is a bit different.” “How hard can it be.”

  Turns out, it’s harder than it sounds. Creaming the butter and sugar ends up being messy, leaving them with the buttery, sugary mess all over their hands and the counter.

  The eggs certainly aren’t easier. Following J.A.R.V.I.S’s instructions, he tries to gently crack the eggshell on the edge of the bowl but the shell just shatters in his hands, splattering him in eggs. The gloopy substance sticks to his skin as the eggshell drips into their freshly creamed ingredients. 

  “I don’t think that’s the right way of doing it.” Dad chuckles, gently removing a few of the larger shell pieces. 

  “I hadn’t guessed.” Peter rolls his eyes, lifting up his sticky hand so the liquid drips into the bowl. 

  Half-heartedly, his eyes scan the kitchen for something to clean his hands before landing on dad’s long-sleeved shirt. Before dad can react, Peter reaches forward and wipes the sticky substance all the way down the length of the sleeve.

  “ _Peter Parker._ ” Dad gasps dramatically, staring down and his dirty sleeve. “Do you know who I am?”

  “Nope.” He can hardly hold back a giggle, trying to retain a straight face.

  “Well, I’m going to have to teach you then,” Dad smirks, sending shivers down his spine. Nothing good ever comes of that smirk. 

  Despite Peter’s attempts to scramble off of his chair and escape, dad gets to him first, dumping and handful of flour over his head. The white powder surrounds him, sticking to his skin and burying itself in his hair.

  “Who’s the messy one now.” Dad boasts, still smirking. 

  “You are.” Peter reaches forward and grabs a handful of flour himself. It clings to his sticky hands uncomfortably but he doesn’t even care right now. It’s payback time. No way is he going to let dad get away with this. Still, up on the stool, he uses his height to chuck the handful of flour right in dad’s face so it covers him just like Peter.

  “Oh, it’s on, Sparky,” Dad growls playfully, grabbing one of the eggs. He cracks it open and scoops out the liquid, flinging it at Peter. Peter tries to dodge by jumping off of the chair but the egg still catches him, sticking to the crown of his head and matting his hair together. 

  “That’s not fair!” He tries to plead but dad just laughs.

  “It’s war now. We don’t need to play fair.”

  “Fine then.” Peter ducks behind the counter to avoid another egg attack. He can hear it hit the counter right above his head, splattering loudly and spraying all across the surface. 

  As soon as the attack has passed he jumps up from his hiding spot and grabs the bag of flour, dragging it down behind the counter with him. Right as dad comes around the corner, Peter launches the floury handful at his face, making him even more ghostly than before. He starts to prepare for another attack, grabbing another fistful of flour when a voice interrupts them.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  Both of them stop completely still, turning to look at the new arrival. Sure enough, mom is stood at the edge of the kitchen, staring at both of them, eyebrows raised. At this point, both of them are well acquainted with her disappointed face, but it still makes Peter hang his head in shame

  Peter lowers his hand, trying to hide the fistful of flour behind the countertop. Dad stands down too, hiding the egg he’d been holding behind his back. 

  “Baking...” Peter says feebly staring at the scene around them. 

  “Really? You could have fooled me.” She puts her hands on her hips, staring at the mess that surrounds them.

  It looks like a bomb has gone off in the kitchen, eggs splattered everywhere, flour covering them both from head to toe. At some point, the sugar must have been knocked over as it’s sprayed all over the countertops. 

  “I think we’re doing a great job.” Dad stands up tall as if he doesn’t look like a snowman right now. 

  “Sure you are. Every cake looks like this.” She rolls her eyes and bites her bottom lip, trying not to smile. 

  “You think you could do a better job.”

  “I _know_ I could.” She chuckles and rolls up her sleeves, “Give me some space.” She gently pushes dad out of the way so she can reach the countertop, making sure to touch him as little as possible. 

  Peter watches, frozen, as dad lifts up his eggy hand, and dumps it right on top of mom’s head. 

  “Tony!” She gasps, freezing up and glaring at him, “You did not just…”

  “I didn’t do what, honey.”

  “You asked for it.” She hisses, grabbing the creamed butter and sugar they’d spent so long on and wiping it all the way down his cheek.

  “Mom! That was really hard to mix together!” He gasps. In all honesty, it was probably unusable anyway after Peter got all the eggshells in it. There was probably very little that was salvageable.

  “Oh really, well would you like some too?” She grins cheekily and darts towards him, her hand stretching out to try and attack him. 

  “Nooo!” He screeches and tries to run away. At the last second, he turns around and flings his handful of flour in mom’s face, distracting her. That momentary lapse gives dad enough time to lunge forward and grab mom by the waist, lifting her up off the ground.  

  “Tony!” She giggles and kicks at him, trying to free herself.

  “Go on Peter! Make a run for it!” He keeps holding mom back, locking her in place.

  Without her chasing him down he is free to make a dash for supplies. He can hear her giggling getting louder as he grabs a hold of the last remaining egg, preparing for the payback. As he approaches, she squirms more, kicking at dad’s shins to no avail. She can’t even break free as Peter slowly approaches, egg in hand. 

  “Okay, okay...I think the fun is over now.” She sighs, now just as messy as them. Carefully, dad releases her, avoiding having her drip egg all over his clothes. “Now we all need baths.”

  “I think you look beautiful like this, sweetheart,” Dad mutters, brushing some of her stray pieces of hair behind her ear.

  “Yeah!” Even though she’s dripping with egg and flour and her hair and clothes are rumpled, she is definitely still beautiful. At least Peter thinks so - although he’s fairly sure she’d look beautiful no matter what. 

  “Nice try you two, but that doesn’t change anything. You’re both going to have to go take baths whether you like it or not. I’m not helping you when you smell like eggs and are sticky.”

  “I’m fairly sure you and Peter are the only eggy ones here.”

  “Oh really.” She hums thoughtfully. Before dad can stop her, she wipes some of the egg off of her shirt and splats it on his face, “Now we’re all eggy and in desperate need of a bath.”

  “Awwww, we still need to make the cake though!”

  “It looks like we’re fresh out of eggs. _Someone_ should have thought before wasting them all.”

  “I really wanted to make a cake for Harley…” He sighs. They’d really messed this up. As much as he’d enjoyed messing about, they should have thought about the cake a little more.

  “It’s okay. After we’re all clean I’ll sort out some new eggs. I’m fairly sure Bruce will have some lying around.” Her voice is warm and soft. 

  Sure enough, Bruce happens to have a carton of eggs in the fridge and is more than happy to lend them. With mom behind the wheel, guiding them through the steps, it actually goes pretty well. Having a second attempt gives him a chance to fix the earlier egg mishap, avoiding getting eggshell in the batter this time around. Overall, the whole thing is probably more edible than their last attempt. 

  As the birthday party rolls around, he makes sure to set their cake in the middle of the food table. Even if it doesn’t exactly look like a masterpiece, he’s proud to see what they’ve made together. It’s always nice when all three of them get to work on something together.  

  As usual, the first one to arrive is Bruce - although he has a feeling that mom had some hand in it. Despite dad’s attempts to drag him into a conversation, he looks happiest at the edge of the room - even without people around.

  However, it’s not long before Harley and the rest of his family arrive. 

  Peter’s not really sure what he’d been expecting when he thought about Rosie but it’s not the little girl that walks in holding Harley’s hand. She actually looks healthier than he’d been expecting. If it wasn’t for the material around her head and her slightly sunken cheeks, she’d look like a normal little girl. Perhaps it was silly of him to imagine anything else.

  “Hi, it’s nice to meet you, Rosie.” Mom crouches down to introduce herself.

  “Go on.” Harley nudges her forward gently.

  “Hello, nice to meet you.” She mutters, clinging onto Harley’s hand.

  “Do you like cake?”

  “Yup!” She suddenly perks up, sniffing the air like some kind of bloodhound. 

  “Well, Peter here made a lovely cake for your brother yesterday. Would you like a piece?” Mom leans forward and speaks quietly, drawing Rosie in closer.

  Once Rosie and mom have gone off in search of cake, Harley turns to Peter. 

  "It's my birthday but she gets the first slice? I haven't even blown out the candles!" Harley huffs, folding his arms close to his chest. 

  "Unfortunately she's cuter than you." Peter giggles, watching mom and Rosie together. 

  "Not fair…"

  "Don't worry, we've got cupcakes with candles for you to blow out." The cupcakes were made by Uncle Rhodey who happens to be the best Baker they know and so look much more photogenic. Even with mom's help, the cake doesn't exactly look pretty in pictures. 

  "Still not fair…" Harley sighs but he doesn't seem to really care. Within a few seconds, he's completely forgotten about the cake and Rosie as the new arrivals step out of the elevator. 

  The first one to get out is Uncle Rhodey, holding the cupcakes in his arms. Right behind him is Auntie Nat, dressed down in a comfy-looking red t-shirt and black jeans.

  “Is that...?”

  “Auntie Nat? Yup!” Honestly, Peter is surprised it's taken so long to get Auntie Nat and Harley in the same room.

  Most of the others, like Uncle Rhodey and Bruce, have already met the other boy at some point. Bruce has even worked with Harley a few times, although Harley works exclusively with tech like dad so Bruce tends to work more with Peter than Harley. 

  “Woah...Black Widow is at my birthday party...” Harley looks about as starstruck as he possibly can - which isn't very. Somehow Peter is more affected by the big names than Harley. This is a moment Peter will have to remember because he doubts it'll ever happen again.

  “Auntie Nat!” Peter raises one hand to wave her over to them. She smiles softly upon seeing them and heads over. 

  “Peter, nice to see you again. And you must be Harley.” Even though they’d never met, Peter and Tony had both mentioned Harley on more than one occasion. It’s hard to avoid now they live in the same building.

  “You’re Black Widow. How long have you been working for S.H.I.E.L.D?”

  “A long time now. I was still pretty young, to be honest.”

  “Really?”

  "Yeah. I was trained when I was young." She still seems pretty young to Peter but he could never imagine getting to her level of skills. How much training did she have to go through? He could only hope to ever be as good as her. 

  "Can you teach me all your moves?" 

  "Sure, you can join Peter's lessons." 

  "You never said you have fighting lessons." Harley rounds on him. 

  "You never asked." Honestly, Peter was surprised Harley never asked. He asks so many questions, especially about Nat, he'd thought it would have already come up. 

  They can't really be considered fighting lessons anyway. Although Auntie Nat is a good teacher, it's mostly just him losing. Besides, he's too small to do most of the moves with her. Even so, she takes some time every visit to practice with him. It's more for fun than for actual practice. 

  "I'll make a fighter out of you both yet." She chuckles and pats their heads. 

  "Harley, look! I got cake!" Rosie runs over and shouts enthusiastically. She sticks her plate of cake right in Harley's face, only just avoiding getting the cake on his nose. 

  Her cheek is already covered in crumbs and icing, the mess falling off of her and onto the floor. It's hard to hold back a laugh as she states up at Harley expectantly. 

  "Wow, it looks delicious." He grins mischievously. Before she can react, he bends forward slightly and takes a bite out of the cake, "Yum, it tastes nice too." He mumbles, his mouth full. 

  "Harley! That was my cake!" She huffs, pulling the plate away as fast as she possibly can. 

  "I think you'll find it's my cake. Peter made it for me." He sticks out his tongue and reaches out to try and grab the plate of cake from her.

  Before he can reach her, she starts running, holding her plate close to her chest. Everyone dodges out of the way as she runs by screeching with Harley hot on her trail. 

  "Bring me back some cake!" Peter yells after them, his sides aching from laughter. 

  He might not have any biological siblings, but, in that moment he feels a little less alone. 

 

  Summer rolls around and school closes for the year, freeing all of them. As happy as Peter is to be getting out of school for a few weeks, he's sad to be leaving Ned behind.

  Usually, the summer holidays would mean more meetups but not this summer. This time around dad and mom have planned a summer-long vacation although they've still not told Harley or Peter exactly where they're going. 

  “Where are we goinggggg?” Harley sighs dramatically. He flops back in his seat and stares up at the car roof.

  Since he’s the oldest, he’s been squished between Rosie and Peter in the middle seat. They’d both wanted to go in the back two seats of the seven-seater on their own but Rosie had wanted to sit next to Harley so here they are. Instead, Sally and mom had nabbed the back seats for themselves. Even now, he can hear mom tapping away on her computer - never too far away from work. 

  “Yeah, where are we going!” Rosie chips in, looking up at Harley. She’s not stopped bouncing in her seat since all of them packed into the car. It’s like she’s vibrating with energy. If he didn’t know any better he’d say she’d downed a bag of sugar before getting in the car.

  “Do none of you understand the word ‘surprise’?” Dad sighs from the front seat. 

  “You’ll find out soon enough.” Auntie Nat turns around in the passenger seat and winks at them all.

  “Soooon! Yay!” Rosie throws up arms, narrowly missing Harley’s jaw. He has to carefully guide her arm away to avoid any injuries.

  They’ve never gone away like this - and definitely not with Rosie. After the hospital and treatments, a vacation hadn’t exactly been high on the list of priorities. They still didn’t want to leave the country in case anything happened while they were away. So instead, dad and Auntie Nat had decided to take them...somewhere…

  “I hope there’s ponies. No Unicorns. No fairies!” She jumps from thought to thought. 

  “We’re going on vacation, not into a fairytale.” Harley sighs, earning a scowl from his sister. 

  “Fine, I’ll see the unicorns by myself.” She sticks out her tongue and crosses her arms tightly at her chest.

  “Behave you two.” Their mom sighs, peering between the seats to glare daggers at the Keener kids. 

  Rolling his eyes, Harley leans over towards Peter to try and get a better look out of the window. For the first time, he actually looks presentable. His scruffy hair has been brushed neatly and even his clothes are new - although they’re not much different from his old clothes.

  “What can you see?” Harley strains to see, practically laying on Peter’s lap now.

  “Ummm...fields?” There’s not really much to see. There have been no signposts for cities or landmarks. No buildings. No other cars. It’s completely desolate with the exception of the sprawling cornfields. In all honesty, Peter is beginning to wonder whether dad knows where they’re going. 

  “Why can’t you just tell us where we’re going?” Harley groans dramatically.

  “Because you could do with a lesson in patience.” Peter can practically hear dad smirking. 

  “It’s not fair that all the grown-ups get to know but we don’t.”

  “What did I tell you, life isn’t fair, kid.”

  “You don’t need to worry - we’re basically there now.” Auntie Nat reassures them, nodding to the desolate road ahead.

  Despite her reassurance, Peter isn’t so sure. There’s still nothing in sight except the fields. Unless they’re camping out in the middle of a cornfield, he has no idea what they’re doing here. It seems more like the start of the horror film him and Harley sneakily watched that the beginning of a summer adventure story.

  “See.” Mom reaches between the seats and taps his shoulder, pointing out the front windscreen. 

  Sure enough, the cornfields have broken to reveal a huge sprawling grassy field stretching out in all directions. With the exception of a little farmhouse perched at the end of the road, it’s completely isolated and natural. Certainly a different view from the seaside cliffs and the concrete jungle he’s used to. 

  “Woah! It does look like a fairy tale.” Rosie gasps and tries to pull herself out of her seat to get a better look at the view outside the window.

  “No, it doesn’t. Farms aren’t like fairy tales at all.” Harley sighs and sits up straight, giving Peter his personal space back. 

  “Some of them are.” She huffs but Harley is quickly forgotten in favour of the view.

  As they drive closer to the building, figures start appearing on the porch. There are two bigger ones and two smaller, all waiting patiently for the car to approach. Peter tries to lean closer to his window but he still can’t make them out. _It almost looks like_ …

  “Uncle Clint?”

  “This is where he lives.” Auntie Nat turns around to look at him.

  “Really?” He definitely wouldn’t have guessed that. Peter had always assumed he’d live in the city or S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters like Auntie Nat. A farm wouldn’t have been his first guess.

  “Clint? Like Hawkeye.” Harley’s eyes widen. It’s times like this that Peter is reminded how knew the Keeners are to their little family unit. It’s surprisingly easy to forget. 

  “Yup.”  

  “Woah! That’s so cool. I never knew he had a family.” As they get closer the other figures become clearer, a woman and two kids. A family. And Peter didn’t know about them.

  He won’t lie, it makes him a little sad. There’s so much he doesn’t know about the man. There’s a whole family out here - two kids too, and he’d never mentioned it. He isn’t stupid, he knows Auntie Nat and him need to keep secrets - after all they’re secret super spies - but he can’t help but feel left out. Did dad know? Did mom? Why didn’t he trust Peter? 

  Slowly, the car comes to a halt, pulling up at the very end of the road in front of a huge old fashioned barn. The barn doors are open and an actual real life tractor is parked in the open doors. 

  “Does anyone need any help getting out?” Dad asks, pulling the keys out the ignition.

  “Me!” Rosie shouts enthusiastically, pulling at her seat belt.

  “Come on then, sweetie.” Auntie Nat smiles warmly and gets out of the car to help the girl. Since Peter and Harley are both big boys now, they have both freed themselves before Auntie Nat has even opened Rosie’s door.

  “Hey! Wait for me.” 

  “Fine.” Harley sighs dramatically. Despite sounding annoyed, he doesn’t seem in the least bit impatient to get out. In fact he’s carefully watching over Rosie, a slight subtle smile playing on his lips.

  “Here you go.” Auntie Nat unclips the seat belt and lets Rosie wrap her arms around her neck like a little monkey. Even her legs wrap around Auntie Nat’s waist so she’s completely supported.

  “You gonna start moving.” Dad beckons them out, holding the door open for them like Happy would. 

  “Yup!” Peter shuffles out of the car, his feet touching down on the muddy ‘road’ right outside the car.

  “Move it.” Harley nudges him out of the way before jumping down to let Mom and Sally out.

  It’s funny, Peter’s visited more places than most people in his school but he’s never actually been to a farm before. Most of the time when they go away they’re going to cities for business trips - when there’s a company to run there’s not a huge amount of time for trips to the middle of nowhere.

  It’s not quite what he’d been expecting. It’s louder than he’d expected. Although he can’t see any animals around, he can hear cow’s mooing in the distance and birds chirping all around him. Even the corn makes noise, rustling as they dance in the wind. Somehow the air tastes funny too, almost like wet dirt. It’s a strange experience. 

 Peter’s so focused on the new scenery, he doesn’t notice Clint and his family moving down from the porch towards them.

  “It’s so nice to see you again Natasha! It’s been too long.” The woman smiles and pulls Auntie Nat towards her. The sudden movement startles Rosie, who lets go of Auntie Nat’s hand to go hide behind Sally.

  “I know - they’ve been keeping us busy at the agency.” 

  “I know. Clint is gone more and more often.” 

  As the two women chat, Harley casually walks over - dragging his bag behind him. Cautiously, Peter follows behind Harley, drawing closer. Their approach draws the attention of others, separating the reunion. 

  “Hey there. You must be Peter?” The other woman crouches down to Peter’s level, “Natasha and Clint have said a lot of nice things about you. I’m Clint’s wife.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Peter clasps his hands together, feeling his sweaty palms.

  What do they say about him? While she has heard stories of him, literally no one has spoken of her existence. Normally the situation is the other way around. This must be how the other people feel when dad introduces them to Peter. 

  “And you two must be Harley and Rosie then.” The woman’s eyes finally leave Peter to go and inspect the other two children. 

  “Hey.” Harley waves half-heartedly, his other hand buried in his pocket and his bag abandoned on the floor.

  Surprisingly, Rosie stays completely hidden behind Sally’s legs - all enthusiasm gone. Instead of vibrating with energy, she’s folded in on herself. 

  "Cooper, Lila, do you want to introduce yourselves?" Clint’s wife steps backwards and takes her children’s hands, bringing them closer.

  They’re both young - probably about Rosie’s age or younger. Someone has definitely gone to great effort to try and tame their hair and dress them up neatly but their shoes are already caked in mud, with fleck splattered on their dungarees.

  “Helloooo!” Both of the kids coo enthusiastically. 

  “Rosie is the same age as you, Cooper.” Clint’s wife presses a kiss to Cooper’s head and points toward Rosie’s hidden figure.

  “Hi!” Cooper runs straight over to her, oblivious to her uncertainty. Without any hesitation, he steps around Sally and holds his hand out to Rosie. “I like your headband.”

  Cautiously, Rosie steps away and tugs and the material wrapped around her head. Her fingers massage the material as delicately as possible.

  “...flowers…” She mumbles something quietly, staring at the floor.

  “It’s so pretty! We’ve got flowers like them growing out the window!”

  “Really?” She suddenly straightens up, smiling ever so slightly.

  “Yeah! I can show you.” He takes her hand, pulling her away from Sally and out into the open again. Cautiously, she stares up at Sally, one hand still gently holding onto the bottom of Sally’s shirt.

  “Go on. You can take Harley with you.” She pries Rosie’s fingers off of the material and gently pushes her towards Cooper and the Barton’s house.

  “Come on.” Harley doesn’t even hesitate to take Rosie’s hand, leading her towards the farmhouse. However, they only get a few steps away before Harley turns around, searching for Peter. “Are you coming?”

  But Peter stays rooted to the spot. 

  As childish as it sounds, he doesn’t want to leave dad’s side. He loves spending time with Harley - he really does - but everything feels so crowded nowadays. With the exception of their visits to the old Malibu ruins, it’s been forever since they could go anywhere alone. Their family just keeps getting bigger and bigger. For the most part, he loves it, but there are times when he can’t help but yearn for older days.

  “You want to go look at the house?” Dad’s hand rests on his shoulder, a comforting weight. 

  “I want to stay with you.” He quietly shuffles closer to dad, his own hand curling around dad’s t-shirt. He’s fully aware of how similar he is acting to Rosie but he doesn’t care. 

  “You sure.”

  “Yep.” Dad’s arm wraps around his shoulder, pulling him closer. 

  “Is that so? Well, I was going to ask your dad to chop some wood for me, do you want to help him?” Clint’s wife hums. 

  “Yeah!” He’s never done it himself but he’s seen people do it in movies. How hard can it be? Besides, they’d be doing something helpful.

  “If you’re sure.”

  “I’ll take our stuff inside.” Mom waves them both off, grabbing the biggest suitcase. Auntie Nat comes up beside her and grabs the other case. 

  “Come on then, Sparky.” Dad gently guides him away from the others and towards the barn. 

  As they walk away, Peter peers over his shoulder, his eye’s meeting Harleys. He feels a little bad for abandoning Harley with the little kids but he leans closer to dad anyway. They’ll be here for ages - there will be plenty of time to spend with Harley. Besides, it’s quite funny to see the other boy getting dragged around by a bunch of toddlers. 

  “You doing okay?” Dad asks softly.

  “Of course.” 

  “If something is bothering you, you can talk to me, kid. That’s what I’m here for.” Even if he doesn’t tell dad everything all the time, he’s always the first person Peter wants to tell.

  “I know. Same goes for you.”

  “What?”

  “You can talk to me if you’re worried about something. You might be the dad but I’m the kid. We’ve got each other to rely on.”

  “You’re right. Thanks, kiddo.” Even though dad doesn’t start explaining what’s been on his mind for the last year, the answer is reassuring.

  Staring up at dad’s eyes, it’s impossible to believe it’s anything other than completely sincere. Dad trusts him, even if Clint and the others don’t. Just like how dad is the first person Peter wants to tell, Peter is the first person dad wants to tell. Sometimes things can’t be said but he trusts that as soon as dad is ready to talk, he’ll come to Peter. 

  Neither of them speak again as they step into the barn and search around for the axe and wood. Peter is more than happy to let dad scavenge around as he inspects the tractor in the doorway. It’s not as big as he’d thought it would be - although that might just be because it’s not a proper farm tractor. Just another thing he can’t imagine Clint using.

  “Come over here then, Sparky.” Dad suddenly beckons him over. In one of his hands is the small hand axe which he spins around casually. Every 

  “You’re going to cut your hand off.” Peter rolls his eyes. 

  “You spend too much time with your mom.” 

  “One of us needs to be responsible.”

  “I wouldn’t call you responsible.” As much as Peter would like to disagree, he really can’t. Clint certainly wouldn’t stand for any of Peter’s arguments after the stunt Peter pulled at Christmas. More often than not, he’ll be right beside dad working on the latest plot. When trouble comes calling, he almost always ends up getting tangled up. Even in his day to day life, they’re late to school more often than they’re early.

  “More responsible than you at least.” It might not be saying much, but he’ll settle for it. Somehow he doubts he’s going to be getting more responsible any time soon. At least they have mom, Auntie Nat and Uncle Rhodey to balance them out and get them out of trouble. 

  “Do you want to have a go or not?” Dad sighs over dramatically, spinning the axe around one last time. 

  “I want a go.” He hops forward and holds out his hand. Cautiously, he hands Peter the axe - his previous recklessness gone. 

  “You got it.” Dad hovers nearby, ready to catch the axe just in case.

  “Yup.” 

  It’s heavier than it looks. Even though it’s small, it’s definitely got weight to it. Just to be on the safe side, he holds the handle with both arms. 

  As he stands there, dad grabs one of the bigger logs and places it on the large wooden stump right in front of Peter. The surface isn’t completely flat so the log wobbles ever so slightly but manages to stay standing. 

  “Okay, I’ll help you out with the first one.”

  “Okay.” 

  Dad comes up behind him, adjusting Peter’s arms and grip so he’s holding the axe in the right way. It’s almost like training with Auntie Nat. Dad’s hands wrap around his, keeping them rightly fixed to the handle and helping to support the weight of the axe.

  Then, in one sudden movement, he brings the axe crashing down into the log. Even though it was a bigger log, the axe slices straight through it. The two slices piece tumble to the ground, bouncing once before coming to a quick stop. They’re not exactly equally sized pieces but they’re good enough.

  “There you go.” Dad chuckles brightly. As Peter looks up, he finds dad smiling, completely carefree. He hadn’t even realised how rare these smiles had become. Dad still smiles but never quite this relaxed. There’s always still a tinge of worry or darkness behind the smiles nowadays. 

  “I did it.” Peter relaxes his hold on the axe, letting it hang at his side.

  “You bet you did.” Dad pats his head gently, “You wanna see how you do on your own?” 

  “Yeah!” 

  He chooses a slightly smaller log this time, placing it back on the stump again. Without dad’s hands guiding his, he has to support the whole weight again. It’s not too heavy as it’s still a pretty small axe but he can definitely feel the difference.

  “Don’t lift it too high if you’re not certain about your aim. You don’t need to cut right through in one go. You can hit it a couple of times if you need to.” 

  Sure enough, when he lowers the axe a little it doesn’t cut right the way through but it cuts through a fair amount. It’s much more off-center than the previous one, cutting a small slither off the edge of the log more than splitting it. Even so, he can’t help but beam.

  “Great job. It’ll make good kindling.” 

  In the end, most of what he cuts ends up being too small to anything other than kindling but he’s not really bothered. He hadn’t expected to be great at it or anything - not when he’d never done it before. For the actual wood, he gives dad the axe, watching him properly cut through the wood. 

  Of course, he knows that dad is stronger than people expect - he’s Iron Man after all - but he’s still surprised at the ease with which he cuts. Compared to Peter, he makes it look like cutting through butter. It’s definitely impressive to watch.

  They keep on cutting until they’ve both filled up their arms with wood. Peter’s arms are filled with his small, splinter sticks of wood and dad has stacked all of his half log in his arms. It’s a difficult balancing act, but they both manage it. It’s a good thing the barn door is already open. 

  Unfortunately, the farmhouse door isn’t.

  Since Peter’s arms are less full, he takes it upon himself to kick the door. He hasn’t even finished his second kick before the door swings open and his foot cuts through thin air. 

  Auntie Nat is stood in the doorway, dressed down in a vest and sweatpants with her hair braided over one shoulder. 

  “Ah, right on time. Dinner’s on the table.” Auntie Nat steps out of the way, letting the two of them come in and dump the wood in the living room. 

  Even from there they can smell the food waiting for them in the other room. He hadn’t thought he was hungry but as soon as he catches a whiff of the smell, his stomach begins grumbling like crazy. 

  “Let’s get some food in you.” 

  For a second he considers denying it but there’s little point. He really is starving and the food is there waiting. Denying his stomach would do literally nothing for him. So instead he lets dad guide him into the other room where plates upon plates of pasta are lined up waiting. 

  The dining room isn’t set up for quite so many people so they end up splitting up, children relegated to the living room to eat (where they’ll “make less mess” according to mom), and the adults sat up in the dining room. Thankfully, the little ones are more than happy doing their own thing on the floor as Peter and Harley take one of the sofas on the other side of the room.

  Honestly, Peter is glad when the meal is finally over and he can break away, going off to the other side of the house to look out the window at the scenery. 

  They’d left at around midday but after the day’s drive to get here, they could already see the sun starting to set. Without all the buildings in the way, the sunset seems to radiate across the entire landscape. Painting the field red and pink.

  “What are you looking at?” Harley walks up beside him, staring out through the window.

  “The sunset. I wish I could get a picture of it.” He’s never wished he had a camera more than in that moment, staring at the colours spilling over the horizon.

  “We’ll be here for ages - you’ll get to see it lots more.”

  “I know.” He sighs. Even so, eventually, they’ll leave back to the big city and the memory will be all he has left.

  “You going to come and sit with us?” Peter and Harley both turn around to look at the huge crowd of people gathered in the next room over.

  There are loads of them now. All eleven of them - including Peter - crammed into the living room. Peter hadn’t expected the house to be as big as it is. It’s deceptive. Sure, it’s still busy and hectic, but it’s not quite as claustrophobic as he’d been expecting. 

  “Okay.”

  Peter lets Harley lead him into the living room which is slowly heating up. The fire is crackling loudly in the fireplace, it’s heat radiating heavily through the room. Combined with the body heat of all the people, it certainly isn’t cold. He finds himself peeling off his layers and sitting there in his vest just to survive.

  Filled with food and surrounded by warmth, he finds his eyes slowly closing, his head resting on mom's lap. Her fingers quietly massage his head, playing with his curls. His hair is nowhere near as curly as it used to be, the cute little curls smoothing out into messier waves. It’s grown out a little too, making it the perfect length for playing with according to her.

  He doesn’t even realise when he starts drifting off. It happens too slowly for him to notice. All he remembers is the warmth and safety as he drifts off into his dreams.

  

  Time feels strange as they stay on the farm. It’s all much slower than usual. Slower and quieter. There’s never anything planned, they all just do whatever they want to - exploring the farmland wilderness on their own terms. 

  Being the older boys, Harley and Peter don’t exactly get an escape from the younger three children, but they make it work. As long as theirs a game to engage them, the children aren’t too hard to handle.

  He won’t lie, it’s a change of pace to spend so much time surrounded by children. Most of his holidays are spent more with adults than children but he can see the appeal.

  Part of him wishes Shuri and Ned were here too but the place is crowded enough as it is. Ned would probably lose his mind if he ever found out Peter and Harley were spending their summer holiday at Hawkeye’s farm with Black Widow, Iron Man and Pepper Potts. Maybe one day he’ll be able to tell his friend, but for now, it’ll just have to be their secret. 

  Within a few days, he’s already lost track of the date. He doesn’t even notice his own birthday approaching. He doesn’t realise it’s his birthday when he wakes up to an empty bedroom - mom and dad’s bed empty across from him. He doesn’t realise when he hears hushed giggling as he goes down the stairs. It’s only when he steps into the kitchen to find balloons and a stack of freshly made pancakes that he finally remembers.

  Everyone has already woken up and gathered in the kitchen - Lila’s face chubby cheeks covered in maple syrup already. For the most part, they’re all still in their pajamas, however, mom and dad have gotten changed. Mom’s even wearing an apron, her long ginger hair tied up in a neat looking bun perched on her head. 

  “Happy Birthday!” They all try to speak together but the younger ones clearly didn’t get the memo. However, their enthusiasm more than makes up for it. It doesn’t even matter that Lila is singing completely the wrong words. 

  “Birthday breakfast for the birthday boy.” Mom grins and carries the pancakes over to him. She sets them down on the table for him, wrapping one arm around him to give him a gentle hug. 

  “Can I have some now!” Lila asks, jumping up and down and pulling on Auntie Nat’s sleeves. 

  “You already had yours.” Auntie Nat chuckles and wipes the maple syrup off of Lila’s cheek with the edge of her sleeve.

  “But I didn’t.” Harley grabs a plate of pancakes for himself and takes his seat right beside Peter’s, pulling Peter over to sit down with him. 

  One by one, they all get their pancakes and sit down at the table with Peter, tucking into the food. There's not a silent moment, everyone chattering away to one another about nonsense, but it doesn't feel chaotic in the slightest. 

  The day seems to last forever as the mess around in the fields with their lunchtime picnic. Uncle Clint even tries to teach them archery - a skill Peter is surprisingly good at considering his glasses and general athletic ineptitude. In the end, it's mom who ends up being the best - discounting Auntie Nat and Uncle Clint though (of course). 

  When they finally drag the younger kids up to bed it feels like it's much later than it actually is. Despite their tears and tantrums, all three of them are locked up in their rooms and asleep within ten minutes. Without their chaos and hyperactive screaming, it's like silence has descended upon the house. 

  Of course, the peace doesn't last for long. Not once Uncle Clint has put Mario Kart on. With the households four controllers, they're able to split off into pairs, each sharing a controller. As usual, Harley and Peter are paired together against Uncle Clint and Laura's team, mom and dad's team and Sally and Auntie Nat's team. 

  "You're going down kid." Dad nudges him, revving his digital car's engine. 

  "There's no way Peters going to lose to you!" Harley eggs Peter on from behind him. 

  Dad might be better at racing real cars - after all he's been in a real race car - but here the playing field is even. Here Peter can crush him! 

  They probably take the game a little more seriously than they should as Auntie Nat's car goes speeding from the start line and flings itself around the first corner. All of them are left in her dust, bumping into each other to try and get a one up on the others. Even so, none of them even see Auntie Nat's car for the rest of the race as she disappears far ahead of them all. 

  "How the hell did you do that!" Clint groans from the back of their group, still trapped amongst all the computer-generated cars. 

  "Clearly someone hasn't been practicing enough." Auntie Nat smirks, leaning back casually. 

  Considering how the Wii belongs to the Barton family, Clint probably has the most practice out of all of them and yet Tony and Peter haven't seen him since the start of the race. 

  "Where's all that big talk gone now, Sparky?" Dad smiles smugly as he finally pulls ahead of Peter, breaking away from their little dominance battle. 

  "You shouldn't get ahead of yourself." Peter grins and fires his shell at dad right as he's about to cross the finish line. His Kart is stopped dead in it's tracks and can do nothing but watch as Peter casually meanders over the finish line, taking second place. He puffs his chest up and holds his head high, unable to contain his smug grin. 

  "Playing dirty I see." Dad hums mischievously, putting Peter on edge. Rightfully so, as a few seconds later, dad pulls Peter onto his lap, pinning him down and visciously tickling his sides. Peter does his best to kick and try to free himself but dad is much stronger than he looks. 

  "Stop…Stop…I give up! I give up!" He pants between giggles, wriggling and squirming as much as he can. 

  "I reign supreme." Dad smiles, still holding Peter close. 

  Finally Peter can relax, laying back against dad's chest. As dads chest rises and falls, his own heartbeat settles.

  "I'll win the next match for us." Harley nudges him and picks the controller up off the floor where Peter had dropped it. He's more than happy to just lay there, watching the other races.

  "Happy birthday, Peter," Dad whispers into his ear, holding him closer.

 

~~~

 

  Carefully, Tony picks Peter up, cradling Peter close to his chest. Pepper reaches over and takes the glasses off of his face, slipping them into her pocket.

  Tony hadn't even noticed Peter falling asleep at first. Not until Harley has tried to hand the controller over for the next race, only to find him completely knocked out. 

  "Can you carry him?" She whispers quietly. Her fingers carefully brush some of his hair out of the way, tucking the strands carefully behind his ear. 

  "Course. He's like a little twig." Tony snorts. 

  Even so, Pepper hangs around him dotingly. As much as she tries to hide it, he catches her hands twitching towards Peter's unconscious body. She only leaves his side when Tony carefully tucks him into the inflatable bed at the foot of theirs. 

  Then he slides into the bed beside Pepper, feeling her warmth radiating through the bed. She doesn’t even look up from her book, completely engrossed. For the first time in a long time, she looks completely loose and relaxed, smiling softly. In fact, it’s the first time they’ve both been in bed at ten for as long as he can remember.  

  “We could do it,” Tony whispers, staring out at the sprawling fields beyond the window. 

  “Do what?” She says softly and lowers her book to her lap. One of her hand snakes around his arm, pulling him closer so she can lean her head on his shoulder. 

  “Get a place like this. Settle down. Spend the day relaxing far from the city.” It would be good for them. He hasn’t seen her like this in forever. He hasn’t felt like this in forever. Without the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. 

  “You want to live in the countryside?” She rubs his arm gently, humming quietly. 

  “Sure? Why not?” He can see why she’d be surprised, he’d never have pictured himself being the kind of guy to buy a farm, but there’s definitely an appeal to it. The kind of peace you can’t get anywhere else. After all the nightmares and battles and close calls, maybe a bit of peace is what’s needed.

  “Because you’re still making suits.” She tilts her head up so she can look Tony in the eyes. 

  “I could make one of the barns into a lab.” 

  “Tony -”

  “It could be good for us. Relaxing. God knows you need it after everything I’ve put us all through.” He cuts her off. His antics have put her and Peter in peril so many times now. He was so close to losing Pepper just a few months ago. If Bruce hadn’t been there she would have fallen and died.

  “Tony, we can’t just leave the company and move out here. That’s not how this works.” She finally sits up again and turns to properly meet his eyes. 

  “Why not?” If Clint and Laura can do it, why can’t he? Even Cap is doing it - leaving the city to relax and travel around the country. What’s so different about him? Why can’t he live a peaceful life like this?

  “I knew what I was getting into when I started dating you. We’re not Clint and Laura, we can’t just abandon everything and leave. Not now anyway. Maybe one day when we’re old and retired we could. When Peter’s grown up and moved out.”

   _Peter grown up_... it seems contradictory. Tony can’t believe he’s even eight. Not when he looks so tiny buried under all those blankets. When did he start growing up? When did he stop being small enough to nestle into Tony’s arms? 

  Logically, he knows at some point Peter will grow up and leave but he just can’t imagine it. What will he do when he wakes up from a nightmare? How will he remind himself that Peter’s still here when he can’t go and see the boy sleeping peacefully? 

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” Her hand wraps around his waist, pulling him closer so she can nuzzle into his side. “One day we can relax. But for now, I’ve got papers to fill out and you’ve got trouble to get into.”

  As much as he’d love to just stay here in this moment, he knows she’s right. He couldn’t just stay here. The second trouble came knocking he’d be out the door and heading straight towards it like every other time. 

  “Let’s make the most of this time then.” He sighs, breathing her in. 

  Her warmth wraps around him but beneath all that, he still feels cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend has been telling me to make a tumblr account for ages so I have (yay peer pressure!). I have no idea what I'm meant to be doing with it so we'll see how it goes. It can be a place to chat if anyone wants to or I might upload some art for the story (if I can figure out how to do digital drawings - I'm awful at the moment).  
> If there's something else authors (if I can call myself that) do on tumblr please tell me 
> 
> Tumblr: xlilianawinchesterx


	14. Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony takes on a new responsibility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy, what better time to write than in the middle of an exam season! Tbh I was procrastinating anyway because my brain is now jelly so I figured this was more productive than mindlessly watching youtube or staring at a wall.

**You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed**

**\- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince**

 

~~~

 

  Things almost seem to have settled down with the world again. Sure, there's talk of… _something_ …going down with Thor in London, but it almost feels like the danger is fading away. He no longer feels a crushing weight on top of him at all times. Actually, that's a lie, the weight is still there but he's not the only one holding it anymore. 

  He stays true to his word and stays away from the suits as much as possible. He stays far far away from S.H.I.E.L.D and Fury and the others. Sure, they might see Nat, Clint, and Bruce but that's not exactly a S.H.I.E.L.D thing anymore. It hasn't been since New York. When they all came to help him they certainly weren't doing it under Fury's orders. 

  He might still be keeping a small number of new suits in backup but they're not being used and that seems to be enough for Pepper. It's not like it had been before. He doesn't even go out and wear them to Expo's and demonstrations - although people still seem to see him more as Iron Man than Tony Stark. 

  In light of everything, Tony doesn't mind the calmer year of nothing but school and SI business. Part of him still longs for the quiet nothingness of the countryside where they'd spent the last summer holiday. There had been talks of going back for this summer holiday but it had ultimately been decided against. All of them had work and friends and people to visit. Pepper might have escaped her in-building duties last year but she'd still been working most of the time from her laptop and phone. 

  Instead, the closest they get to a holiday is when the kids (sometimes all three of them) are packed off to May and Ben's for the weekend, giving Tony, Pepper and Sally some free time and space. It doesn't even have to be for a whole weekend - it can just be for a few hours after school when the weather is good before the start of the summer. 

  In all honesty, Tony wonders why the pair don't just have kids of their own. Although they say it's just about the money, he suspects something more. They've always loved spending time with Peter and somehow still enjoy having Ned or the Keener kids around - sometimes even all four at once. There's still the rare occasion when Peter sees the other Parkers but for the most part, May and Ben are it.

  It's on such a day when Tony takes the chance to relax in the living room - something he never does when he's alone. The living room is almost entirely reserved for hangovers, gatherings, and family film nights. However, Pepper had been asking him to read "to kill a mockingbird" for months and J.A.R.V.I.S needed some time to run an update so he has some time to kill. 

  The silence is suddenly shattered by muffled giggles and shuffling footsteps. Curiously, Tony leans forward, trying to see what the kids are up to. They're all supposed to be at the park with May and Ben and yet here they are. 

  "Shhh! We have to be quiet!" Peter whispers a little too loudly and the footsteps suddenly stop. 

  Staying as quiet as possible, Tony gets up off the couch and creeps towards the voices. Sometimes it feels like he can't trust J.A.R.V.I.S, people come into the tower unannounced more often than announced nowadays. He's such a traitor. 

  "Where are we going?" Rosie hisses loudly. Maybe Nat should give her lessons instead of Peter and Harley. It sounds like she could use them. 

  "My room," Peter mutters. 

  None of them notice as Tony creeps up behind them, lost in their loud creeping. He follows silently behind them, watching them tiptoe around. Compared to the other two, Harley is actually fairly quiet - although it's still far too loud in such a quiet apartment. 

  "What are you lot doing here." Tony clears his throat, looking down at all three of them. Instantly, they all jump and turn around like they've been burnt.

  All three of them are clutching oddly shaped lumps in their jumpers, trying to suppress them as much as possible. Just the fact their wearing jumpers at all is weird considering the weather. There's nothing they can do to make them look less suspicious. It's blatantly obvious _something_ is under there. Rosie's giggling certainly doesn't help. 

  "Dad!" Peter squeaks and holds onto the lumps tighter. Despite his best efforts, Tony catches the lumps wriggling and squirming. _What the hell have they brought back here_? 

  "What have you got there." He crosses his arms and arches his eyebrows. 

  "Nothinggggg…" Rosie sings.

  Suddenly the lump under her shirt sprouts a tongue that licks the underside of her chin. Instantly, she dissolves into giggles, squirming even more than the lump is.

  Harley and Peter both sigh loudly and drop their heads resignedly. 

  "Stop it!" She hisses between giggles but that only seems to egg the lump on. 

  "You boys want to explain?" Harley and Peter look over at each other before lifting up their jumpers and picking up four small furry creatures that had been stowed away. 

  "No way. Not happening." Tony shakes his head ferociously. There's no way Peter or Harley are keeping any of the golden labrador puppies. If Tony wanted a dog he'd go out and buy one. No way. 

  If they'd been going to Peters room then they were going to hide these dogs not ask to keep them. How long were they expecting to hide six dogs? They must have known they'd find out eventually. 

  "Please Mr. Stark! Aurora likes it here!" Rosie lifts up her own jumper to free two more puppies. 

  "We're not calling her Aurora." Harley huffs, holding his puppies closer. 

  "You've got your own puppies to name. Mines going to be called Aurora. She likes it." She holds out the biggest puppy and lets it lick her cheek once again. The other puppy just silently squirms, it's stumped tail bumping into the other puppy. 

  "No one is naming any puppies. Where did you even find them?" He knows kids well enough by now to know that as soon as something is named, it's a hundred times harder to get rid of it. They'd had to keep a rock Peter picked up from the beach for two years just because Peter named it ' _Rocky'_ and gave it a face. Unfortunately, puppies require a bit more work than rocks. 

  "They were just left on the side of the road in the rain. There was no shelter or anything. The sign said we could take them and they just looked so sad." Peter pairs his pleas with sad dejected-looking puppy dog eyes. It doesn't help that they have the real deal right there with them. "Look, one's missing a leg." Peter holds up a frail, weak-looking puppy, in one hand. 

  "And this one is missing an eye!" Harley holds up one of his own puppies. 

  They genuinely do look a state. No one's going to want them. The medical bills alone will put people off. The three-legged and one-eyed puppies might be in the worst condition but the others aren't exactly fighting fit - Harley's other puppy has a scar running from the top of it's head to the bottom of its eye. In fact, only two of them are in somewhat okay shape: one of Peter's and Aurora. Even they aren't perfect though. Tony is somewhat worried that one breeze will break Peter's puppies bones it's so small and thin. 

  "I don't care, we're not keeping them. Someone else will have to look after them." 

  "But dadddd…"

  "I don't want to hear it." He holds up his hand, ending the conversation. No amount of pleading will make him take on the responsibility. 

  "We can't just put them back outside in their box! It's meant to thunder tonight!" Harley holds onto the puppies defensively, blocking them from Tony as if he's going to snatch them from his hands. 

  Rose's bottom lip quivers, eyes sparkling. She almost looks as pathetic as her puppies. Even Peter's lip is quivering. The entire situation is a sorry sight. 

  It really doesn't feel like there's much of an option. 

  "I'm going to regret this…"

 

  "You let him keep the puppies." Pepper sighs as they lay in bed together at the end of the day. 

  "No, we're just keeping them out of the rain until they find homes." Try as he might, it was impossible to kick the puppies out for the night. Even if he'd tried to, he's sure they'd find a way to sneak the dogs back inside. They'll just have to start looking for a new home for them tomorrow.

  "Out of the rain and in Peter's bedroom." 

  After Rosie and Harley had finally agreed to leave the dogs in Peter's care, the boy had spent all evening making a soft, cozy bed for them all out of a box and old blankets. Tony hoped he didn't have any homework due because it definitely hadn't been done.

  Tony had tried to convince him to let them stay in the living room (they'd have been perfectly fine) but that had gone down about as well as you'd expect. At least Peter had stopped complaining and had actually gone to sleep. 

  "They kept following him. Besides, whenever they were left alone they started crying." It was almost cute to see them trailing around after Peter - he'd been practically glowing. He'd even carried two of them that were struggling after a pitiful attempt at walking. Unsurprisingly, missing a leg or eye leads to a lot more bumping into things. 

  "Crying? They're _dogs_ , Tony." She rolls her eyes. 

  "Dogs can cry." He has no idea what else you would call it. The sound cut through him. 

  "There's no way you're going to find all six dogs a home." She sighs. 

  "I'm a billionaire - how hard can it be to find people that want dogs?" There's bound to be someone that wants the dogs. It's a big city and he has a lot of money. Maybe he should just send Peter to knock on people's doors and give them his sad eyes…

  "They're a mess. Part of me wonders if they're even going to make it through the night." 

  "They're not _that_ bad and you know it. Besides, people like a charity case." Even if they're not the most healthy dogs, they're certainly not that bad. Clearly they have some good lungs on them at the very least.

  "I guess that explains this relationship." She chuckles to herself.

  "I'll have you know, I'm a billionaire." 

  "And yet you can't tie your shoes without me." She beams up at him, feigning innocence. "Why did you have to let him keep the dogs?" Her laughter dies out and she suddenly goes completely serious, her eye’s practically pleading with him. It might not have been the most thought out plan but the kids made a good case.

  "They would have died out in the rain." The chances of someone coming to get the dogs before they all died was very low. People might have taken pity on them but it would have broken the kid's hearts to send them back out there. He’s not convinced they would have snuck out to bring them back in somehow. He can’t trust J.A.R.V.I.S to stop them, the AI always folds when it comes out and he supposes that’s his fault. 

  "Someone would have come for them. After all, don't people like a charity case."

  "We can't be sure." In his head, he can still see Rosie’s big watery eyes. It turns out three sets of puppy dog eyes - technically nine sets - are much worse than one. "Rosie and Peter were on the brink of tears."

  "You're such a softie." She shakes her head with a chuckle and shoves his shoulder gently. 

  Since when was his weakness so obvious? When did he start wearing his heart on his sleeve? Having Peter has definitely brought about a lot of negative repercussions as well as positive ones. He’d never been this worried before Peter was born... 

  "No I'm not, I just didn't want to listen to them complaining." He tries to maintain what little he has left but there’s no way Pepper is going to take that. If there’s one person that’s always been able to see through his charade it’s her. 

  "Sure." She turns over in bed, flicking the light off and dousing them in darkness. 

 

  "Dad!" Tony is rudely woken up by Peter's screeching as he runs into their bedroom.

  Bleary-eyed, he sits up in bed. Pepper is already up and about, fully dressed at the foot of their bed. She doesn't even bother stopping Peter, letting him come in and ruin Tony's morning. Even worse, she's smiling smugly the whole time. 

  "What is it?" Tony groans and flops back down on the bed. One arm comes up to cover his eyes, burning his face in the crook of his arms. 

  "I need you to look after the puppies while I'm at school." Sure enough, the box of dogs is in Peter's arms. He'd almost forgotten about them…

  "What? Can't you give them to Happy or something?" 

  "He said ' _I'm the head of security, not the dog sitter_ ' . Besides, you'll be better at looking after them." Peter mimics Happy perfect, over exaggerating all the body language as he goes. It's actually a fairly impressive skill - as long as he isn't interrupting Tony's sleep.

  He doesn't even wait for Tony to answer before dumping the box on Tony's lap. 

  "I've got work to do." He groans and tries to cover his face with a pillow but that, unsurprisingly, does absolutely nothing. 

  "Yup, they'll be well behaved though! Thanks, dad!" He doesn't waste any time scampering out of the room, leaving the box behind. 

  He can feel all of them scampering around in the box, clambering over one another. Do they not stay still? Carefully, he sits up and looks at them all in their box. 

  "Don't you love having dogs, _sweetheart_." Pepper walks over smugly and kisses his cheek, "Have a fun day!" 

  "I will." He shouts after her as she saunters out of the bedroom. Her footsteps get further and further away, leaving him alone. 

  It's alright for her, she gets to just leave. It's not like he can just up and leave right now. He really needs to find a new home for the dogs as soon as possible… 

  "Great." He sighs, falling back down onto the bed again. He'll deal with it later…

  Later ends up being now as any hope of sleep he has is quickly dashed. They're far too loud to get any kind of rest. It's lucky Peter is a deep sleeper because otherwise, he'd have got no rest. 

  When he finally gives in he gets up and carries the box with him in the kitchen, still in just his pajama bottoms. Maybe they're just hungry? Peter always used to be loud and grumpy when he was hungry. 

  "What do you guys eat? Chicken?" He frowns, pulling out the half-eaten chicken from yesterday's dinner. He should have asked Peter what they ate last night. 

  Maybe he should order dog food… what is he saying?! They’re not buying dog food! These dogs will be gone soon so there it would just be a waste. Besides, dog food is just meat anyway right? Dried, processed protein of some sort. Chicken should be fine then. 

  "This better shut you guys up." He sighs, reluctantly slicing up the chicken and putting it in a bowl.

  There goes his chicken sandwich…he'd been looking forward to that. 

  Carefully, he picks up one of the little pieces and holds it out to the closest puppy - the one missing its front leg. Cautiously it sticks out its tongue and licks the meat out of his fingers, it's tiny little tail wagging.

  "There you go, now you can be quiet." He gently pats it's head as it nuzzled up to him, still trying to lick any chicken molecules off his fingers. 

  He rotates around each of the dogs, making sure all of them get some food. Whichever ones aren't being fed clamber over the other desperately. Even when the chicken is gone they scramble over each other to try and reach his hand, seeking out the smell. 

  "You'd think you guys had never been fed before." He chuckles, picking up the box and shoving it under one arm. 

  They quieten down a little as Tony enters the lab, contented that the chicken is gone and snuggling down into all of the blankets. He's happy to set the box down on the floor beside his workbench, keeping half an eye on them.

 Although most of them are happy to settle down and nap, there's one that doesn't seem to want to quit. It keeps trying it's best to clamber out of the box and explore, even though it's only got three legs. 

  "You can't get out of the box without your leg." But obviously his words don’t do anything to settle the dog. It just keeps trying and keeps falling, landing right in its brothers and sisters. 

  At this rate, it'll wake all of them up again. None of them are going to get any sleep… What if they all start trying to climb out? How will he keep track of all of them? He's barely kept track of Peter when he was little and that was just one person. 

  Sighing, he gets off his stool and crouches down, gently picking the dog up. It's much softer than Tony had been expecting. Softer and smaller. It's tiny legs wriggle around in the air as it's tail wags. 

  "Is this what you wanted? You don't want to just sleep peacefully in the comfy box?" He gently puts the dog down on the counter, watching it cautiously. 

  It scrambles a little, trying to find its feet on the new surface. Every time it tries to moves, it's feet slip under it send it sprawling on its face. 

  "I'll put you back if you're annoying." He points at it accusingly despite knowing it won’t understand him.

  Fortunately, it seems to find some kind of balance, finally standing up properly for more than five seconds. It even starts taking a few experimental steps across the slippery surface. 

  Trying his best to ignore the new distraction, Tony turns back to his work. The puppy seems satisfied with the new area to explore, leaving him alone to his coffee. Even so, he keeps half an eye on it - especially when it starts wandering closer to the edge of the surface. 

  An hour passes so peacefully Tony almost forgets that the dogs are even there. Almost but not quite. Now the dig has stopped moving around and is just sitting beside him, staring at him. 

  "What are you looking at?" Tony sighs and finally looks over at the dog. As soon as he looks over, it's tail starts wagging. "What is it?" 

  Cautiously, it stands up on shaky legs and moves closer to him. As soon as it's close enough to his exposed hand, its tongue comes out and gently licks him again 

  "There's no more chicken left." But the dog keeps on licking him, balancing on one leg, "You just want to sit there a lick me?" He sighs and carefully picks up the puppy, lifting it to eye height. Even then it keeps licking him, it's tail still wagging. 

  Tony’s eyes are drawn to the stump where it's leg should be. With a puppy so young, what could have happened? He's seen three-legged dogs before but never quite this young. 

  "You know, it wouldn't even be that hard to make you a leg." Tony mumbles. 

  It really wouldn't be. His Iron Man technology isn't too far from a prosthetic. In fact, he's been considering going into that field for a while. The people on the board might need a little convincing but he has faith in Pepper's ability to convince them. 

  "You know, I don't need a prosthetic so I can't test it out myself. Do you wanna be my test subject?" He lifts the dog closer to his face only to get a tongue to the face. "I'll take that as a yes." He mumbles, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. 

  Thankfully, there are no more unwarranted licks as Tony sets aside his previous project to start measuring up the dog. As soon as he's got measurements he begins making a design. 

  He's so absorbed in the designs, he doesn't even notice the time until all of the kids come crashing into the lab uninvited. Instantly, all six of the dogs perk up, their tails wagging. 

  "How are the puppies!" Peter rushes right over to the box, fawning over the puppies. 

  "They're all fine." He sighs, putting the sixth puppy back in the box with the others, "I'm fine too by the way." None of them even look up - it like he doesn't even exist.

  "How is Aurora doing?" Rosie coo's. Her chubby fingers squish the biggest puppies face enthusiastically. 

  "We're still not calling her that." Harley huffs, gently rubbing one of the dog's floppy ears. 

  "I'm going to call up some people tonight about homing them." As much as he wants to just call up the shelter, he knows they’re not going to settle for that. They want to keep the dogs as close as possible. He can’t really see a winning scenario here. Not unless they somehow manage to keep all six of the dogs.

  "What! Already!" Rosie exclaims, stomping one foot down. Her tiny little eyebrows furrow into what she thinks is an intimidating stare. Unfortunately, Tony can’t imagine her ever being even slightly intimidating. "But I wanted Aurora to sleep at our house tonight!" 

  "I don't think anyone will come for them tonight but I don't know if your mom will let you keep the dog at your place." He doesn’t want their mom to start coming after him. Peter keeping the dogs in his room is one thing but the Keeners just taking one is bound to get them attached. There’ll be no separating them if he gives them any leeway. 

  "She will! She promised she would!" Harley steps in this time with much more authority than her. Although Tony believes them - they have no reason to lie - that doesn’t make it a good idea. Sally has to realise what letting them sleep with the dog will mean.  He'll have to call her later to double check and explain the situation. 

  "Do you really need to send them away so soon?" Peter pouts, gently scratching the one-eyed dog behind its floppy little ear. 

  "If they stay for any longer you'll get too attached. Besides, we don't even have any food for them." He already made the mistake of not sending them all away instantly. Every day is just making the situation worse. 

  "I can buy food with my pocket money." Peter stares up at Tony, still pouting. 

  "I don't give you pocket money." 

  "No…but you could start." He tries to shrug casually. He can be such a cheek sometimes...wonder where he gets that from.

  "Nice try, kid." 

  "But we don't want to send them away." Rosie steps in again, just as stubborn and demanding as ever. 

  "How about if I try to find people we know to take them. That way you can still see them." Although he raises it like a new suggestion, that has been his plan all along. The only way he can feasibly see them giving up the dogs. A middle ground. 

  “Okay…” All three of them begrudgingly agree, but no one in the room seems particularly happy. 

  Turns out, finding friends to take the dogs isn't as easy as it sounds. He tries to convince Happy - even offering to pay for any bills or food - but it's quickly apparent that that’s not happening. Calls go out to everyone from Dr. Cho to Eric Selvig. He even calls up Nat but isn't surprised when she turns him down.

  He's beginning to lose hope when he gets a call from Clint as they sit down for dinner. Despite Pepper's tutting, he picks up the call as he goes to get them all cutlery. 

  "Hey, Tony." Barton greets him cheerfully. It's odd to hear him so cheerful and energetic on the phone - normally he sounds like he's half-asleep. 

  "What can I do for you, Barton?" 

  "Nat told me you were trying to home some dogs. Laura and the kids have been asking for a dog for months now - it would be nice to get one from you instead of a breeder."

  "Really?” He almost can’t believe it. It almost felt like the job of getting rid of these dogs was cursed. “That would be great. No one around here seems to want them.” He shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. If Clint wants the dogs then Tony is more than happy to give him them. 

  "Sure, I'm leaving S.H.I.E.L.D to go back home tomorrow, I can come by with Nat in the morning to pick one up." Despite the situation, PEter will at least be happy to see Nat, if nothing else.

  "Thanks, Clint."

  "Hey, have you tried asking Bruce? If anyone could do with a little company, it's him. I know he's living with you lot now but I'm sure he still spends most of his time alone." 

  In all honesty, Tony hadn't even considered it. Bruce didn't exactly seem to be the type to have a pet - in fact, most of the time he looked scared of them. Just like with humans, he looked at them as if one movement would crush them despite Tony's rehabilitation attempts. However, Tony couldn't imagine anyone else taking better care of a life. If Tony had somehow stumbled through it, Bruce definitely can. 

  "That's a good idea, surprisingly." Not to mention the man only lived a few floors below them so the dog would undoubtedly be nearby. 

  "I do have them, you know." Clint gasps dramatically.

  That's how Tony finds himself stood outside Bruce's apartment a few hours later when Peter has long since gone to bed. There's one wriggling puppy in his arms, what's left of its tail thumping against Tony's arm. 

  There's the sound of muffled footsteps approach the door, making the dog’s tail wag faster and faster. With every footstep, it wriggles more. If he didn't know any better he'd think he was holding a slippery fish. 

  "Tony?" Bruce mumbles, opening the door and rubbing his eyes.

  He's still wrapped up in his dressing-gown, his hair rumpled. Tony's surprised to see him wearing the Hulk slippers Tony brought him last Christmas after the Mandarin attack. Honestly, Tony had been expecting to see them in the trash by the end of the week. 

  "What time is it?" Bruce groans, somehow completely overlooking the puppy Tony is holding. The darkness of the hallway probably doesn’t help - especially since Bruce isn’t wearing his glasses.

  "About midnight." Tony could just look at his watch, but with the dog, that's a little awkward. He’d have to shift the dog so it was no longer covering the clock face or just put the dog down altogether.

  "Why couldn't you just wait till the morning?"

  Somewhere along the line, he forgot that the middle of the night isn't exactly a reasonable time to wake people. Part of him always assumed Bruce was like him, working himself to the bone late into the night - maybe he once was.

  Bruce sighs and shifts slightly so he’s not standing in the middle doorway anymore. It's not explicit consent to enter but Tony steps right in any way. If Bruce didn't want Tony to come in he would have just closed the door. That’s enough consent for him. 

  He doesn’t even wait until Bruce follows him in to bend down and release the puppy into the environment. Fortunately, unlike the others it doesn’t immediately tear through the apartment, instead of sniffing surfaces and exploring with a slightly calmer pace.

  It’s only then that Bruce actually manages to see the little furball. 

  "I wanted to ask you for a favour." Tony sticks one hand in his pocket and strolls over to the kitchen where he can see a gleaming coffee machine just sat there waiting. There's a dirty, empty coffee mug right beside it, and a drop of coffee still hanging from the spout. The lid for the pot of coffee beans is resting in the countertop forgotten. 

  Tony walks right past the countertop covered in take-out cartons, filing the information away. Tomorrow he'll make sure to invite Bruce to dinner. Get some decent, healthy food in the man for a change. Someone's got to care for him because clearly he doesn’t care about himself. Besides, Peter and Pepper would love having Bruce around for dinner. 

  "Is that a dog?" Bruce completely ignores Tony, staring after the dog sniffing around his apartment. He's stopped rubbing his eyes and is instead stood frozen, still in the doorway with the door open. 

  "Uh, yeah. You should probably close the door. You like him?" Tony mumbles, grabbing a mug and shoving it into the coffee machine. He just stands there, watching the dark, bitter nectar pour into the mug. _God, what would the world do without it?_

  "You know how I feel about dogs, Tony." Bruce sighs, his head falling ever so slightly but he quietly closes the door and steps into the kitchen with Tony. 

  "Fantastic, because he's yours now. We haven't got names for them yet, but -" 

  "Wait, Tony! What do you mean: mine? I never agreed to that!" He states at Tony wide-eyed, trying to ignore the dog that has slowly started approaching them, sniffing cautiously as he gets closer.

  "Really? Must have been a dream then. Don’t worry though, you'll love him. He's a big biter though, so you'll want to be careful. He chewed a hole through the blanket Peter gave them while I was working today." It had been a nice blanket as well - not that that really matters. Its destruction was inevitable considering the number of dogs. He’d accepted their fate. 

  "You're getting ahead of yourself. I can't look after a dog! I'm an awful caretaker!"

  As they chat, the dog gets closer and closer to Bruce, weaving between his legs and sniffing quietly. Despite Bruce’s not-so-subtle attempts at dodging and moving out of the way, he eventually gives up and lets the little thing settle between his legs. 

  "You seem pretty good to me. You're far more responsible than I've ever been, but Peter turned out pretty well - at least in my opinion." Tony figures it's probably for the best that he doesn’t mention how he caught Peter and Harley microwaving an egg last month…or the time Peter and Shuri painted his lab countertops to look like rainbows…

  "Sure, but that's different." 

  "Not really. You feed them, pick up their poo and play with them - sounds like a baby to me." In fact, looking after a dog was probably easier. At least with a dog you don’t have to try and make sure they don’t turn into a mini version of yourself. 

  "You know what I mean Tony. I'm not looking after the dog." He steps back and seems to draw an invisible boundary in the air with his hands, waving himself away from Tony and responsibility. The movement disturbs the little dog which still trails after him. 

  "They don't have anywhere else. They were abandoned on the sidewalk and the kids picked them up. They're homeless." From his years knowing Banner, one thing that’s blatantly clear is his soft heart. He’s almost as weak as Tony and Natasha. No matter how hard the three of them try to hide it, none of them have been particularly successful so far.

  "There are loads of shelters around that can take them. I'm sure they'll be able to find a proper home that can properly look after them. People who know what they’re doing." In truth, he completely agrees but he won’t admit it. This is what the kids want, besides, he does believe in Bruce. 

  "No one ever knows what they're doing." He certainly never knew what he was doing with Peter. Without the others, he’d definitely have gotten Peter killed by now. Sometimes it still seems like he’s going to get all of them killed. Even now, he can’t figure out how Mary knew what she was supposed to do. Maybe she was just pretending to know too. 

  "Tony." 

  "The kids really want to keep the dogs but there's six of them. We can't keep them. I promised the kids I'd try to keep the dogs as close as possible so they can still see them." 

  "Tony -" 

  "Please. Look he already likes you." Sure enough, the puppy is quietly biting on his Hulk slippers, tugging on them gently. There’s no shying away. No fear. There’s nothing to fear with Bruce, not even the Hulk. At least not in Tony's expert opinion. "If you really really hate it then I'll take him back and find somewhere else. Just give it one week." He makes the solemn swear. There’s no way Bruce would send the puppy back. Just one week and he’d get used to it and grow to enjoy it. Clint was right, he could do with the company.

  "One week…" Bruce sighs, staring down at the adorable labrador who’s still engrossed with Bruce’s slippers. Tony’s already got him. 

  "Just one. And even after that you can return him if you really don't think it's working, I promise." 

  "You promise?" 

  "I never break a promise." At least he does his best not to - although that’s not been particularly successful recently. 

  "Why do I find that impossible to believe." Tony doesn’t blame him. Despite all the effort he puts in, he always seems to break his promises - especially the ones to Pepper. He’s surprised she hasn’t already jumped ship. "Fine, but I'm only trialing it for a week." 

  "Of course."

  “Do you have anything you can lend me for the week? For or toys or anything?” Bruce stares down at the dogs he’s been charged with which is still only interested in his slippers. 

  “I had J.A.R.V.I.S order some food for you before I came down here. It should be here by the morning. Peter already fed him at dinner so he should be fine until then.” He’d already known that Bruce was going to agree. There was no other way that would go. 

  “What am I supposed to call him?”

  “I don’t know - choose your own name. We don’t have one for him.” Someone needs to give these dogs names at some point. It’s really annoying having to refer to each by their unique characteristics. That being said, he can’t go and let the kids name them. 

  “Okay…” 

  “Look, it’s the middle of the night, I should probably leave you alone now. You don’t need to worry, you’ll do great, I know you will.” He’s already encroached enough and dumped a dog on the guy. The least he can do is leave the guy in peace.

  “Thanks, Tony.” Bruce stares down at his hands, smiling subtly. Even his cheeks are tinged slightly red. Tony had almost forgotten how compliments make the man react. He really needs to compliment him more.

  Before Bruce can change his mind or something, Tony turns around and starts heading towards the door. He’s still holding his mostly full coffee mug. It’s probably a bad idea to be drinking coffee when he’s supposed to be going to bed but he likes coffee so, whatever. 

  However before he can get out, Bruce grabs onto his arm and stops him, forcing Tony to turn around and look at him. 

  "Tony, are you okay?" 

  "Why wouldn't I be?" He frowns. Of course he’s fine. He’s been fine for ages now. It’s not like he was behaving weirdly...why is Bruce even asking?

  "We saw a lot of stuff back then, in New York. And then the Mandarin happened. I've been meaning to ask you for months but I’ve been putting it off." Bruce clears his throat and carefully picks up the dog before it can reattach itself to his slippers.

  New York and the Mandarin? Those were both months and months away. Sure, he might have struggled a bit after the events but he’s fine. _He’s fine_.

  "It's been months. I've moved past it." 

  "Really? Because the other day Harley said you had a panic attack after the Mandarin attack." That’s what this is about? He’d almost forgotten he broke down completely in front of the boy. Most of the time, his breakdowns were private or could be brushed off - like when he first broke down in front of Rhodey.

  "He said that?" If he said that, what else did he say?

  "He described it." 

  "Well, I moved past it." He hasn’t had a proper one in weeks now. Sometimes, when he’s still got nightmares, he’d wake up panicked but he hasn’t had a real one in forever. He’d filed it away and blocked off those memories, moving past them. They weren’t going to affect him anymore 

  "You didn't say anything to anyone, did you? Not Rhodey or Pepper?" He doesn’t even want to imagine what they would say if Bruce told them. Both of them would get way too worried about something that doesn’t even matter. It’s just a few panic attacks. Nothing more.

  "I didn't…yet…" Tony really doesn’t like that little pause. He especially doesn’t like that word: _yet_. "People don't just move past things like that. You might have distracted yourself a little but if you're not careful it might get bad again. What if something like New York happens again? You're only here because Hulk caught you." Bruce pushes him, stepping slightly closer to Tony and bridging that gap.

  "Since when did you care about talking things through?" In his experience, Bruce is the kind of person to deal with things alone. The same kind of person as Tony. To hear him saying that Tony needs to talk is...strange, to say the least. 

  "I'm getting used to it…” Bruce clears his throat slightly and subconsciously goes to pet the dog in his arms. Unlike in Tony’s arms, he falls completely still under Bruce’s touch. At least the dog likes Bruce, even if Bruce isn’t sold.

  "Well, I'm fi -" 

  "I'm not.” Bruce suddenly burst out, cutting off Tony completely, “I hurt Natasha when I hulked out on the ship. I killed agents. Innocent people trying to help us." It’s funny, Tony had never thought about how that might affect Bruce. About how he felt after that. In all honesty, he wasn’t exactly in the right place to be helping anyone else after New York but he could have tried. He was the only one still around. The only one who might actually understand the feeling. 

  "Hulk was scared and confused and trying to protect you." Part of the reason Tony never expected him to feel this way was because Tony never saw it that way. Never saw the bad. In his mind, Hulk had never been an evil monster - he’d already proven his ability to protect people and save lives in Manhattan way back when.

  "So were those people." Bruce’s eyes glaze over, staring off into space. His hand stops moving too as he drowns in his own thoughts. Tony isn’t sure if he wants to know what he’s thinking about or about how much he can remember as Hulk. 

  Tony himself hadn’t seen much of the situation inside the Helicarrier, after all, he’d been pretty preoccupied. The closest he got was seeing the resulting chaos, mess, and death. Of course, most of those people hadn’t been killed by Bruce, it definitely gave him a good idea of how it had been back then. Fear is a powerful feeling. 

  Despite everything, he still can’t see Bruce as anything other than his friend, saviour and the hero who saved New York. 

  "You saved New York and me. You saved Pepper too. She'd have fallen and died without you." Even with all the negatives, there’s so much good he’s done for people and the world. 

  "What about all the people I killed and hurt? Does the good somehow wash off their blood." All he can see is those people back in Afghanistan. Yinsen. All the blood Tony himself spilled unknowingly. At what point does the good he’s doing as Iron Man make up for those lives?

  "We can do better." He doesn’t know what else to say. Maybe blood never washes off but isn’t it better to do some good as well. Even if it doesn’t wash off the blood, doesn’t it help?

  “People only got hurt when you were struggling to control the Hulk. When you were suppressing that part of yourself. You need to strut." It’s something Tony had recognised even from the footage. Meeting him in person and getting to know Bruce and his counterpart has only made him firmer in his beliefs. Hulk isn’t necessarily bad, he just needs to be accepted.

  "You're not wrong. Suppressing things tends to do more damage in the end." Tony can hear the hidden jab but he decides to ignore it.

  "You're a good person and hero - both of you. I trust you and the Hulk with my life." It's not an exaggeration. In his mind, Hulk has done as much good as bad - if not more. He’s done more for Tony than a certain two Avengers. Why wouldn’t he trust him?

  "I know - that’s why I'm here if you need to talk. I won't tell anyone about what happened before but I need you to promise you'll talk to me if you're feeling like that again."

  It’s funny, back after the Mandarin Tony had actually considered talking to Bruce. He’d wanted to talk to someone. A lot had happened in an incredibly short period of time and he hadn’t known how he was supposed to deal with that. In the end, he’d decided not to, not wanting to put more on the man.

  "Okay." 

  "I know you've got other people in your life, but you're my best friend. You're stronger than me but I don't want you to end up like me." Tony’s mind drifts back to Bruce’s story on the helicarrier, about how low he’d gotten. Maybe he as still being a selfish friend. Bruce was thinking about Tony but Tony wasn’t thinking about Bruce. About how Bruce might want to talk sometimes. 

  "You’re stronger than you admit Bruce. The strongest person I know."

  "Get some sleep Tony." Bruce tries his best to smile but it never quite reaches his eyes. He just doesn’t believe Tony. 

 

   _Water rushes all around him, wrapping him in darkness. He's suspended in the dark. There's nothing anywhere. Nothing around him. Just dark and darkness._

_In the distance he thinks he can see something shining - like stars in the night sky. Small specks of something bright and brilliant but well out of reach. Snatched away into the distance._

_He tries to open his mouth to scream but water rushed in. Even his thoughts are drowned. Submerged in water._

_It's almost like being in Afghanistan again. Almost like being crushed under the Malibu waves again. Almost like space._

_Space is strangely like the water. The same odd floating feeling. The same numbness. The same dark void. The same overwhelming pressure. The same inability to breathe. When they say the ocean is like outer space, they have no idea how right they are._

_He's not sure when the watery void changes. When the emptiness is pierced by the sight of rubble and debris. Every piece seems bigger than the last as they lurch out of the darkness._

_Whatever breath had been in his lungs is long gone. A distant memory. And that only makes it worse._

_Once again the rubble seems to morph and change. What was once pieces of his home - small nuggets of precious memories - suddenly reform into looming ships, watching him die._

_A void waiting to devour him whole._

  Suddenly he bolts upright, his skin prickling. Sweat beads on his skin. What few areas are free from sweat, are covered in goosebumps.

  Part of him wants to go take a shower but the other part would rather run for the hills - guess which part won out. Even just the thought of water makes him want to retch. 

   _Damn Bruce_. Why did he have to say anything? Tony had it under control. He was fine. 

  Tony creeps into Peter's bedroom, the nightmare still fresh in his mind. The floor is frozen under his feet but it's surprisingly pleasant on his sweaty skin. At least he can tell himself the cold is the reason he's shivering. 

  The route from his bedroom to Peters is deeply ingrained in his memory, making it easy even in the dark. It's been a while since it's been this bad but the path is built into his muscle memory by now. 

  When Tony opens the door to see Peter twisting around in bed, he stands frozen in the doorway. Had Tony been too loud and woken him? However, Peter stays asleep, his hands gripping onto the covers tightly as he mumbles. Even from the doorway, Tony can see the beads of sweat glistening in the moonlight. 

  Quietly, Tony creeps over to the bed, carefully avoiding the box of sleeping dogs in the middle of the floor. He has to be careful to not disturb the sleeping boy as he sits down in the middle of the bed. Instantly Peter stops twisting but his fists don't let go of the sheet and his face contorts. 

  "Shhhh…" Tony hisses softly, one hand gently reaching over to smooth Peter's tousled hair. The hair sticks to his sweaty forehead as Tony smooths it out. 

  Tony has never really seen Peter like this before. There were a few times after Obidiah took Peter, years ago, but nothing Tony has seen since then. Has it always been this bad and Tony just hasn't noticed? Considering everything that’s happened to them, he wouldn't be surprised.

   _Is there anything else Peter doesn't talk about?_  

  "Dad…" Peter mutters in his sleep, his face softening ever so slightly. 

  "It's okay, kiddo," Tony mumbles soothingly. With every brush of Tony's fingers he loosens his grip on the covers.

  Taking care not to wake him, Tony pries the covers from his grip. As soon as it's free, Tony can gently cover Peter up, burying him amongst the fabric.

  For some reason, he always looks so much younger when he's sleeping. Tony can almost imagine he's still the little kid that called the reactor a nightlight and slept tucked up at Tony's side. Or maybe he just looks older when he's awake. Sometimes he does seem older than his nine years - Harley too. They have their moments, but certain lifestyles definitely have an effect on their maturation rate. 

  Sighing, Tony pulls his hand away from Peter's head and smooths down the covers one last time. As much as he'd like to stay here all night, he needs to leave. Even if he can't get back to sleep, he should at least leave Peter to sleep. Maybe he should burn through the rest of the night in his lab… Pepper might be annoyed but there's no point in lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling for hours. 

  He finally tears himself away, the mattress rising as his weight vanishes. It must have been a significant change as Peter suddenly starts whimpering, his hand stretching out blindly, grasping at air. 

  "Hey, hey…its okay." Tony instantly reaches out to Peter, his hand resting on Peter's sweaty forehead. 

  Although Peter instantly settles, Tony can still hear whimpering. Whimpering and scratching. 

  Keeping his hand on Peter, he turns around to look at the box of puppies sat in the middle of the floor. It looks significantly emptier than last night, with only four dogs left. Before the dogs had all been huddled together in one corner, sleeping contently. However, now there's an obvious gap in the bundle. One of the dogs, coincidentally the three-legged dog from earlier that day, has stumbled over to the edge of the box and is stood on its hind legs, peering over the edge at Peter's bed. 

  "Shhh! Peters sleeping." Tony hisses to the dog like it somehow will understand him. Sure, he might talk to his bots - especially back before Peter - but at least they understand him (even if they act like they don’t). Although he did used to talk to Peter back when he couldn't even sit up on his own… 

  Unsurprisingly, the dog doesn't quieten down. In fact, it just starts jumping as if it will somehow be able to launch itself over the edge of the box. Its furry little face will disappear for a few seconds and then suddenly pop up. 

  "What is it with you? Are you always like this? A curious little thing, huh." None of the others even seem to care. They like sniffing and exploring as they trail behind Peter but nothing quite like this dog. Apparently it has no regard for people sleeping or working.

  "If I let you out, will you be quiet." He asks like he's somehow expecting an answer. The only response he gets is louder whimpers and scratching. "Okay, okay…" He sighs resignedly. Leaving it in the box certainly isn't doing anything.

  Despite Peters whimpers, Tony takes his hand off to go pick the dog up. As soon as Tony touches it, it stops making noise and simply wags its tail. 

  "A little attention seeker, huh." Tony chuckles and tries to carefully set the dog down on the floor, hoping it'll just quietly explore on its own. Instead, it hobbles straight over to the foot of Peter's bed and starts scratching and whimpering again. It even gets up on two legs and starts hopping pathetically again. 

  "Really? He's trying to sleep, it's not time to play." But the dog clearly doesn't understand.

  Without a presence beside him, Peter's own whimpering just gets louder. And so, despite himself, Tony picks up the puppy again and places it on Peter's bed.

  Since the surface of the covers are bumpy and unstable, the puppy face plants a few times as it hobbles over, but it does eventually find its way to Peter. Instead of licking him or jumping on him like it usually would, it curls up right beside Peter, it's back pressed up against his belly. Bundling up with Peter just like it did with it's siblings.

  As soon as the dog settles down, so does Peter. All his whimpering and tension fade away.

  Pepper would roll her eyes but Tony can't bring himself to separate the two. They really need to find homes for these dogs quickly…but for tonight, he leaves them in the darkness together. Just for one night…

  
  


  "He's not taking Aurora!" Rosie scowls again and holds the fluffy labrador close to her chest. The moping has escalated even further so now she’s stood facing the wall, her back turned on both Sally and Tony. 

  Unsurprisingly, keeping the dog for one night had made everything worse. At this rate, they’re going to have to just keep her. Just as he predicted. 

  All of them were meant to be gathered here to decide what puppy to give to Clint but nothing was getting done. Peter and Harley had taken up residence on the couch with all the dogs except Aurora. They just let the puppies crawl over them, completely ignoring the task at hand. 

  "We need to find a home for all of them so Aurora will need to go at some point. If Clint took her you'd still get to see her." Sally tries to reason with her, just like Tony, but she still refuses to turn around and look at them. 

  Clint is going to be getting here in a few minutes and they’ve still not come to an understanding. They need to choose one of the dogs at the very least. Even if it’s not Aurora which would be the smart choice so Rosie could still see her sometimes.

  "But I want to keep her." 

  "We can't look after a dog, honey. We can't even afford a dog." Sally sighs, slumping over with her hands resting on her thighs to prop her up. 

  "But it's all I've ever wanted." Tony knows for a fact that isn’t true. Just last month the only thing she’d ever wanted was a craft set and now it’s been abandoned in Tony’s living room for two weeks.

  "I know, but my job doesn't pay enough."

  Although Tony had purposely set their rent - which Sally was determined to pay - as low as she would allow, the money from her shop keeping job really didn’t go too far. Especially not when the medical bills were still being paid. Another thing she won't let Tony help out with. They were certainly better off than before - actually buying new clothes from Harley that fit, not that he wore them. A dog wasn’t exactly a good match with their income.

  "Mommyyy!"

  "I've been meaning to ask you for a while, but I actually have a job proposition for you." Pepper steps in, dressed for her meeting which is in an hour. Back when Tony was in charge he didn’t even bother getting changed until the meeting started and then would just show up whenever he was presentable.

  "A job?" She turns to face Pepper, frowning.

  Tony and Pepper had been talking about this for a while now. As much as they both wanted to go through with it, they’d held back. Both of them knew the woman wouldn’t accept that. It frustrated Tony to no end but it had been a hassle trying to get the rent down so he’d hate to think about the argument this proposition would require.

  "Since I was made CEO there's not been anyone to fill my old role. I've been looking for a while now but no one has ever really fit the bill. Harley mentioned a couple of weeks ago that you have experience. I would appreciate having someone reliable that I can trust working with me. It's beyond difficult to find anyone you can actually trust."

  "I don't know if I'm qualified…" Instantly, she starts playing with her nails, looking over at both Tony and Pepper uncertainly. 

  "I feel like I've gotten a good to know the kind of person you are. You're hard-working, reliable and trustworthy. That seems pretty qualified to me. Even so, we could have a trial period to see whether you're qualified or not." All of them know that she’s qualified. Especially with Pepper at the helm. With Tony, things might have been awkward but he can’t imagine Pepper makes things difficult. 

  "Are you sure?" 

  "With Peter and Tony, the most important thing is someone who can be trusted, which you have proved. No one else we've looked at has been trustworthy in any way." 

  One of the first things Tony ever learned about the field was that no one can be trusted. It had been a stroke of luck that Pepper had busted in with her Pepper spray - he couldn’t imagine anyone more qualified and trustworthy than her. Most people you hire can never be trusted with anything. They’ll just sell you out to the highest bidder. Even if you’ve known them your whole life.

  "Yay! So now can we keep Aurora?" Finally, Rosie turns around to face all of them, still hugging Aurora as close as she can to her chest.

  "No, sweetie. It's still a big responsibility, even if I do manage to get the job." Sally sighs and rubs her temples in small massaging circles

  "We can both take care of her all the time! We'll do all the walks and food!" Harley finally perks up from his comfy seat next to Peter. 

  "Harley…" 

  "We will! I pinky swear!" He even holds out his pinky finger towards her, although she makes no moves to go and take it.

  "You're not going to let this go, are you?" Sally shakes her head. Tony can’t imagine either of them ever giving up, not when they’re so invested. 

  "Nope!" 

  "...Fine…" She takes a huge breath. Her whole body shuddering. "But if it doesn't work out we'll start looking for a permanent home for her again."

  "Yay! You hear that Aurora, you’re going to be our dog now!” Somehow the screeching doesn’t bother Aurora who just licks her chin joyfully. 

  “That still doesn’t change the situation at hand, we’re supposed to figure out what dog we’re giving to Clint to take home.” Tony sighs. He’d known this wouldn’t go well from the beginning. Maybe they should just stick with the original idea and let Clint take any of the remaining ones and just hope the children were okay with it.

  “As fascinating as this discussion sounds, I need to get some work done before the meeting.” Pepper steps towards him and kisses his cheek, “Good luck sorting all of this out. I’ll talk to you tonight about a trial period.” She turns to Sally.

  “Thank you so much.” 

  “You’re the one helping me out.” Pepper smiles warmly, hugging Sally. “I’ll talk to you kids later and I hope you’ll have come up with a solution by then.”

  “Bye, mom!” Peter finally gets up off of the couch and moves away from the dogs to wave her goodbye as she leaves for the long day of work. Even though it’s a Saturday, work never stops for her. 

  Once she’s left completely, Peter settles back down on the couch next to Harley and lets the dogs clamber back onto his lap. As usual, the three legged dog is happiest just curling up on Peter’s lap, closing its eyes and napping. 

  “You comfy?” Tony sits down on the couch opposite them, arching his eyebrows. It certainly doesn’t look comfortable to him but what does he know. 

  “Yup.” Both of them chime. 

  “You’re weird.” 

  “You’re the weird one. Who doesn’t like dogs?” Harley questions him, playing with the ears of the nearest dog. 

  “I never said I didn’t like dogs.” When he was a kid he’d have loved a dog. Or anything. Until they shipped him off to boarding school and then College, his life would have been perfect for a dog. Even Jarvis would have liked it - even if he’d never admit to it.  

  Before anyone can ask any more questions, the doorbell rings, demanding all their attention. Not to mention it sets off all the puppies, driving them to start yapping loudly at absolutely nothing. Tony moves to get up but Sally is already moving and opening the door to let Clint and Nat in. 

  “Hey, kiddos! I heard you’ve got some puppies here.” Clint steps in through the door first, moving out of the way so Nat can greet Sally with a hug.

  All three of them move away from the entrance and towards the couches. As they move, Rosie comes over and walks alongside them, still gripping Aurora for dear life.

  “You can’t take Aurora.” Rosie practically growls, holding Aurora closer to her chest. The puppy has to angle her head upwards to try and lick her chin. “She’s mine!”

  “Ours.” Harley tries to correct her but Tony doesn’t think she hears a word. She never does.

  “Really. Well, she seems to love you a lot.” Clint rests his hand on her hair, messing her hair up a little. 

  “Yeah, her and Harley kicked up enough of a fuss to convince Sally to let them keep one of the dogs.” Tony nods towards Sally who is slinking away. It was always going to happen. An inevitable fate. These kids are way too stubborn sometimes. “One less one you need to home at least.” Tony shrugs his shoulders.

  Honestly, he doesn’t really mind that the Keeners are keeping one of them. Well, he _mostly_ doesn’t care. However, he’s certain that he’ll be taking care of the dog a surprising amount since he’s the only one around the building in the middle of the day. He’s also fairly sure this is going to have some effect on Peter. Now that they’ve got a dog, he’s more likely to kick up a fuss himself.  

  “Let’s hope Peter doesn’t try to use the eyes on you too. We all know you’ll cave instantly.” Nat chuckles. 

  “No, I won’t.” He defends himself with as much false confidence as he can. No matter how long he stands here and denies it, all of them know the truth. When Peter asks, it’s damn near impossible to say no. They really need to hope he grows out of this phase.

  “Sure.” She smirks, “Where are the rest of the dogs then?” Nat walks closer to the couches and the kids. As she gets closer, Peter actually steps away from his horde of dogs 

  “Auntie Nat!” Peter runs over to greet her, meeting her halfway and throwing his arms around her. She lifts him up with ease, although that’s not too hard considering his size. His glasses are quickly displaced but he doesn’t seem to care, only fixing them when he’s back on the ground. 

  Harley follows behind him, bringing the dogs with him. Unlike Peter he keeps his cool and doesn’t rush to hug her, just giving a nod as a greeting. 

  “No greeting for me?” Clint pouts a little and folds his arms close to his chest. Somehow he looks like the youngest person in the room - and Rosie’s here...

  “Uncle Clint.” Peter finally releases Nat to go greet his uncle. All the dogs follow behind him, overwhelmed by the new smells that have entered the room.

  Honestly, he can’t remember at what point when Clint became an Uncle… He gets the Nat thing - after everything they went through together, it’s hard not to - but Clint’s a little out of the left field. Then again, Peter gets attached quickly. That’s probably why letting him sleep with the dogs was a bad idea. 

  “Nice to see you again, kid.” Clint gives him a short hug, squeezing him gently, “So these are the dogs I’ve been hearing about.” 

  “Yup! We’re down to four now. Rosie and Harley have Aurora and Bruce has Rick.”

  Rick? Is that what Bruce called his dog? Not the name Tony would have chosen but what does he know. Maybe the name has some kind of meaning to him.

  He’s also surprised to hear that Harley is letting Rosie keep the dog's name as Aurora. Sure, he takes good care of his sister, but he’s not exactly a pushover. At least not when it comes to Tony.

  “Do the others have names?” Clint stares down at the gaggle of four dogs that are trailing behind Harley and Peter like overgrown ducklings.

  “No, mom and dad won’t let us name them. Apparently if we name them, we’ll get too attached.” Peter rolls his eyes as if that’s somehow ridiculous. Considering the situation they’re currently in, it doesn’t seem outlandish in the slightest.

  “They’re not wrong.” Clint laughs, staring at the very obvious attachment. “You know them best, which dog do you think would like living with my family?” He stares at each of the dogs as if he can somehow find an answer by watching them. 

  “Hmmmm...I think they’d all like it - but maybe…” Peter reaches down and carefully cradles the one-eyed dog with the same kind of tenderness he used to see in Mary’s eyes when she held Peter. “He’s only got one eye but he’s still super sweet and well behaved. Well, most the time anyway...he can be kind of cheeky sometimes but he’s only trying to play…”

  “He’s half-blind, I’m half deaf - it’s a good match.” It’s easy to forget that Clint is deaf sometimes - especially after seeing his skills during the New York attack. Truthfully, he might not believe it if he hadn’t accidentally hit Clint with a banana a couple of months ago when his hearing aid was turned off. 

  “Really? You’ll keep him even with his eye?” Peter looks down at the little puppy, seeing something there that Tony just doesn’t. 

  “I told you before, none of that stuff matters. Besides, if you say he’s good then that’s good enough for me. This way you can still visit him too.” Clint reaches forward at takes the outstretched puppy with the same tenderness Peter does. 

  It’s a side of Clint Tony forgets about. The tenderness and care that he sports. Considering his skill set, it’s not exactly surprising but it’s easy to brush over. He’s a seasoned veteran but he’s also the father of two children.

  “What are you going to call him?” Harley asks, scratching the dog between its ears. 

  “I called Lila and Cooper last night and they decided on the name Lucky.”

  “Lucky...it’s a good name.” Peter hums, staring at the dog he’s been caring for for a few days now. 

  “It’s better than Aurora.” Harley rolls his eyes but doesn’t seem to really mind a whole amount. He’s not pushing it or digging his heels in, in any way. Maybe all of them here are just big softies. 

  As stands behind Clint, watching, the dog with the scarred face creeps over to her, circling her legs. Every time she shifts or moves, it moves with her, looking up at her with wide eyes. Tony can’t take his eyes away from the adorable little scene playing out. Nat must notice but is just choosing to ignore it. 

  “Looks like you have a shadow.” Tony nods towards the dog now sat right behind her, casually.

  “You make a cute pair.” Clint grins, scratching Lucky on the back of his head. 

  "I'm not taking one of the dogs." Nat stands her ground and refuses to look down. 

  “But look at her Natashaaaa! She likes you and I know you love dogs and animals. You’ve got a big soft heart deep beneath all that armor.” She turns to glare at Clint as if she somehow can’t see the small scarred dog right beside her.

  “I can’t look after a dog. I’m busy.” 

  “That’s what Bruce said.” Tony hums to himself, loud enough for all the other to hear.  

  “Yes, but I work with a national spy agency. Not exactly the best environment for a dog.” She might not be wrong but there are definite workarounds. 

  “So do I.” Clint points out, looking down at Lucky. 

  “Yes, but you have a home and a family.”

  “So do you. They’re not just my family, remember.” Clint says softly, with complete seriousness. Even just spending one summer there, Tony could tell she’s a part of their family. She’s just as much as part of it as Happy or Rhodey are a part of Tony’s. He has no doubt they’d happily look after her dog when she’s busy. It’s not like they don’t have room. 

  “I don’t think they’ll want to look after two dogs while we’re away.”

  “They’ll need something to fill the void while I’m gone.” Clint hums jokingly, hugging Lucky closer to himself. 

  “I don’t think that’s a void that needs filling. I also don’t think it’s healthy to fill emotional voids with dogs.” Although it might not be the most healthy way, Tony happens to know much more unhealthy coping mechanisms - more than a few that he’s used himself. 

  “What do you know about healthy emotions…” Clint rolls his eyes playfully. 

  “Please, Auntie Nat! She loves you so so much! You can’t abandon her now!” Rosie starts pleading, suddenly passionately invested in this situation. You’d think Nat was abandoning a child or something.

  “She just met me a few seconds ago.” Nat rolls her eyes but turns to look down at the tiny puppy anyway. It’s hard to deny the happy sparkle in the dog’s eye as it looks up at Nat. It’s even harder to deny the ferocity of its wagging tail. 

  “But look at her. She needs a real home. Her last owners abandoned her all alone!” Rosie’s bottom lip sticks out pathetically, being the little drama queen she is. She really would make a great actor when she’s older. It’s an impressive ability.

  “Maybe I should be training her.” Nat chuckles to herself but bends down to pick up the little puppy anyway, examining it from up close.

  “Please Auntie Nat.”

  “You’re not going to let this go are you?”

  “You’d be so good at looking after her. She deserves someone who won’t leave her injured and weak on the sidewalk.” Peter chirps in now, trying to add to the guilt factor. They’re really laying it on thick but he can’t figure out if it’s working or not. As usual, Nat is a completely blank slate.  

  “No matter what you say, I know you’d love a pet dog. You can’t deny it. I know you better than anyone.” Clint picks up Lucky and holds him up in front of Nat, letting him lick her nose. 

  “You know me better than anyone, huh?” She smiles crookedly, not moving her head an inch. Instead of looking at the dog she locks her eyes with Clint. 

  “I do. Don’t deny it. What’s stopping you from keeping her?” Clint pouts over dramatically and just keeps holding Lucky up to her face. 

  “Fine...I’ll take her. But just so you know, she’s going to be so much better than Lucky - won’t you.” Now she holds up her own dog, letting Clint move Lucky away. 

  “You should call her Ariel like the Princess! Ariel has the same beautiful hair as you!” Rosie jumps up in front of her, putting Aurora down to go and fuss over Nat’s dog. As soon as she’s been put down, Aurora runs around energetically and weaves around Harley’s legs, sniffing all the other dogs. 

  “That’s super sweet of you. It’s a pretty name but I already have a name in mind.”

  “What name?” Peter cocks his head to one side. Slowly he steps closer to her to get closer to the dogs. As he walks, the other dogs trail behind him, moving to meet the others in their little cluster. 

  “Yelena.”

  “Yellanna?” Harley tries to copy her but butchers the entire pronunciation. 

  “Yelena - it’s Russian. That’s where I was born - Russia.” Tony remembers that being mentioned before - her origin. It’s not particularly surprising. No one ever really talks about it but from what he’s gathered, she was working as the black widow for the KGB and brought in by Barton and S.H.I.E.L.D to defect.

  He wonders in the back of his head who Yelena is. Was she a fellow KGB member. Part of him wants to go research into it but he’s fairly sure he’d find nothing. Besides, Nat is his friend and he shouldn’t really go around 

  “Really? I was born in Tennessee!” Rosie jumps up as if she’s saying something revolutionary. It’s surprisingly cute even though it’s so high pitched. 

  “Wow! That’s cool.” Tony almost finds it unfair that she’s such a natural with kids while Tony fumbles his way through most of the time. One day he hopes she has kids of her own when she’s freed herself from S.H.I.E.L.D. She deserves something for herself.  

  “So now there are only two dogs left…” Sally hums, looking over at the two reamining dogs, the smallest dog, and the three-legged dog. Just one day ago he’d been struggling to find even one owner and now they’re down to two dogs. That’s pretty impressive if you ask him - even if he didn’t really do all that much. 

  As quietly as it can manage, the three-legged dog hops towards him, staring up at him like he’s doing something interesting instead of just standing there alongside everyone else.

  “Hey.” He mumbles and bends over, scratching her head gently. However, as soon as he stops, her tail drops and she stares up at him with those stupidly adorable eyes forcing him to start scratching her again.

  “You know, I actually have an idea about another owner. That’s one of the reasons I came here today.” Nat offers up. Another owner? Who would Nat be thinking of? Hopefully not Fury or one of his goons. Agent Coulson had been nice but most of the others were more annoying than anything else.

  “Who?” He frowns, standing up straight despite the puppies sad eyes staring up at him. 

  “I can’t say just yet. But if they agree, I think they’d make a great owner.” She hums thoughtfully, her own puppy happily settled in her arms. 

  “You can’t say?” Nothing sounds more suspicious than that.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “You’re an ex-assassin and a spy.” He can’t help but point the facts out but they both know he does. Despite the way they met and her occupation, he does trust her. Just like how he trusts Bruce. They’re friends and teammates and she’s saved his arse more than one time. It would be unfair of him not to give her the trust she’s earnt.

  “I promise on my life I will do nothing to harm the dog.” She stares him dead in the eyes and swears to him in complete seriousness. Of course she wouldn’t. No one would go out of their way to give a puppy to a bad home - especially not Nat. 

  He doesn’t even need to say he trusts her. Both of them know it already. All he has to do is nod. There’s not a word exchanged.

  “You know, I wish we could stay for longer but I promised my family I’d be back home before the end of the day...” Clint cuts through the moment, clearing his throat apologetically. 

  “Already?” Peter tries to hide any disappointment. It’s not uncommon for their visits to go like this. Both of them have their own things to do and S.H.I.E.L.D doesn’t exactly give them the most time off - especially not Nat.

  “That’s okay, we’ll see you at Christmas right?” Harley points out.

  It’s still months and months away from Christmas - they haven’t even reached the summer yet - but with all the workloads there might not be a visit in that time. Nat will probably come by between missions but seeing Clint is definitely rarer. 

  “Yeah, everyone will be coming.” Tony confirms, and the words hit him. Everyone is going to be coming to the tower to celebrate the holidays with them - and that meant more dogs. Lots and lots. Bruce, Nat, Clint, the Keeners - between them they’d be bringing enough kids and dogs to turn Tony’s hair gray. The only solace is that at least the adults will still outnumber them since there’ll be the Rhodey’s, May and Ben in the mix.

  Hopefully it’ll be enough for them to all to handle.

  It feels like so much of his life nowadays has become about children and animals. How did it get to this? He was supposed to die a nice early death, drowning himself in alcohol and bad life choices. In fairness, he’s not convinced that isn’t still going to happen.

  “What other dog should I take?” Nat looks at the two remaining dogs.

  “You should take this one. He’s little so you should be able to carry both of them easily.” Harley reaches down and picks up the smallest and most frail of the litter. 

  “Is that okay, Peter?”

  “Of course.” Peter nods enthusiastically. 

  Unsurprisingly, the last one left is the three-legged dog which Peter definitely seems to have gotten the most attached too. He’s not entirely sure that he’s happy with how this is going but he’s not going to make Nat take the dog Peter likes. He’s not mean. 

  “Okay then, I’ll make sure he gets well taken care of.” She assures him firmly. 

  "We'll look forward to seeing you all at Christmas then." Sally smiles softly and briefly hugs both of them, doing her best to avoid squishing all of the dogs. Tony doesn’t want to imagine what the drive to Clint’s is going to be like. Clint will just be stuck in the back seat with at least two dogs for a few hours. 

  "I'll try to come and visit sooner than Clint," Nat promises. Normally she does come to visit sooner although there are times when they’ll go for months and months without a visit. 

  "You'll come and give us some lessons?" Harley asks. He’s been begging for another lesson since Nat last came by to fight with them. Peter’s always like the sessions but Harley is somehow more enthusiastic. Kid definitely has a thing for fighting. With Nat training both of them, they’ll probably be able to beat him up soon enough. 

  "Sure, I'll drop by after my next mission if Fury says there's time." 

  "Will you bring Yelena?" Rosie coos, saying goodbye to the puppy. 

  "Course. See you." Both her and Clint wave as well as they can with the hands full. As they leave, the room descends into quiet, until finally, Rosie speaks. 

  “What’s an ex-assassin?”

  

  And suddenly he's alone with the last dog. In the space of two days, they'd pawned off all five of the other dogs - at least for now since they don't really know what's going to happen with the other dog Nat took. He supposes that Bruce might return the dog but the chance of that are fairly slim. 

  Without all the other dogs around, the last remaining dog has been even more curious and needy. When school starts again he has to keep the dog with him all through the day. Every day he has to let the dog sit up on the worktop with him so it can see everything going on, just to stop its whimpering. For the most part, she's alright though. A bit too nosy and cuddly at times but it's not too unlike the old days with Peter.

  They still haven't given up trying to find it a home but no one else will let themselves be coerced into taking it. Not even Rhodey after Tony attempted five times. Sooner or later they're just going to have to accept it and send the dog to the shelter. 

  Despite Tony ademance that they're not keeping it, he already took it - _her_ \- to the vets to check out her leg. But that was only because the Keeners were already taking Aurora and Tony figured it was the responsible thing to do. Besides, won't people be more likely to want her if she's in good health. 

  They've also invested in a pack of dog food that's ten times bigger than the actual dog - just until they find a proper home. However, for now it just sits in the corner of his lab for some reason - as if they couldn't somehow find a better place to keep it.

  He'd had a few close calls when DUM-E tried to make a new kind of coffee that included dog biscuits as well as motor oil. Not to mention Butterfingers knocking over the bag a few times and scattering the small kibbles all over the floor. Who doesn't want their lab to smell like dog food? That's probably why he almost didn't notice the dog biscuits floating in his coffee because he's become nose blind to their smell. Besides, who actually looks at what they're drinking? Clearly not him. 

  Sometimes he swears U is the only one he can trust. And then U will go and spray his suits with the fire extinguisher and he remembers that none of them can be trusted

  It's lucky he's so ahead on his other SI projects because no one notices his sudden lack of progress on new projects. In fact, it's for this exact reason that he keeps a few projects waiting under wraps until he wants to start working on personal projects.

  The extra hours give him time to properly work on the new prosthetic leg - which could technically be counted as an SI research project. With J.A.R.V.I.S's and the bots help, he actually has it ready by the end of the week. A prototype at least. He could have asked for help from Bruce, Peter or Harley to get it done quicker but instead, he chose to work on it alone. In fact, he does his best to hide it when they get home from school which costs him even more time. 

  It's all worth it for this moment though. The moment when he gets to hold the surprise finished project in his hands. 

  “Shall we put this on now? Or should we wait until Peter gets home?” He holds the leg out towards her, letting her sniff the cool metal. Curiously, she licks the surface and stares up at Tony. "Yeah, you're probably right. He'd be annoyed if I didn't wait for him."

  As much as he'd like to try the leg out first, just to see if there are any small tweaks he can make, he knows he shouldn't. Him and Peter always tried the projects out together. Every time. When it's something that related to _totally-not-his-dog_ , he should wait. Anyway, it's not like he'll have to wait for long. 

  He's so lost in thought, he almost doesn’t notice the dog sniffing Peter's baseball which he'd left in the side before heading off to school. Her head is lowered as she cautiously nudges it with her nose. 

  "Do you want to play? You probably shouldn't use that one, it's Peter's. I might have one for you though." He hums to himself.

  Peter's baseball isn't for chewing up but he does have an idea. Back in college, he'd brought a bunch balls for the bots. Actually, Rhodey had. Since they spend all their time in the lab, the balls never had an opportunity to get lost. In fact, Peter keeps them close by, just in case the bots need entertainment. 

  Sure enough, he reached into Peter's draw and pulls out a red squishy ball, holding it up to show her. Instantly, her tail starts wagging and she tries to jump up. 

  It's not just her that reacts. All three of the bots suddenly wheel around and stare up at Tony. 

  "You like that?" He waves the ball teasingly, only making her wag her tail faster and start yapping. "Okay, okay." He keeps the ball in his hand and goes over to pick up the dog and place her on the ground. 

  At once, all three of the bots run over to him and the dog, waiting expectantly.

  "Hey, this isn't for you. This is for the dog. She's a guest." All of them hang their heads but they don't move away. "If I throw this ball, you better not chase it." He points at each of them accusingly. 

  There's no way they aren't going to go after it, but he prepares to throw it anyway, watching them all closely. However, the second he throws the ball, all of them make a mad dash, surprising absolutely no one. 

  "Oi!" All of them stop dead in their tracks, except the dog who runs ahead lopsidedly and does her best to grab the bouncing ball. "What did I say?" 

  Once again, they hang their heads, their claws knitted together. No matter how shameful they look right now, there's no doubt in his mind they will go right for the ball again. Sometimes he wonders just how much of an AI they are. They certainly don't seem to be learning anything. 

  Sure enough, no matter how many times he throws the ball, they go after it. He feels bad for the dog who is destined to never get the ball as long as three bigger, much faster bots are racing her. It's not exactly a fair race, all things considered. Maybe it will be once the leg is attached and working. 

  It's a relief when Peter finally gets home and all the bots swarm him, putting an end to their game. 

  "I'm home!" The dog races over to his side, her tail wagging and her tongue sticking out goofily. Just the sight of her makes him break out in a smile. 

  "Hey, Sparky. No Harley today?" Since it’s a Thursday, normally Harley would be coming by too. He doesn’t always come but it’s become quite common recently - especially as they get closer and closer to the summer holidays.

  "Nah, I've got homework to do and he's taking Rosie and Aurora out to the park to get ice cream." Peter sighs deeply and throws his bag onto the couch, holding his folder of homework in his hand. 

  "He's not doing his homework?" Tony doesn’t know why this surprises him, considering everything he knows about the other boy. 

  "He doesn't really like school and Mrs. Jones hates him already. Besides, he doesn't mind detentions and bad grades."

  Tonys not exactly surprised but he still wants to go round to his apartment and sort the kid out. Then again, Tony wasn't much better when he was Harley’s age. What is that saying again: _Wisdom comes with experience_? Tony’s certainly had a few experiences. More than his fair share. Wasn’t part of his aim here to try and stop Harley from going down the same path he did. 

  "Well I've got a surprise for you." Tony shakes any thoughts of Harley away. The boy needs to do his own thing. Harley isn’t his kid, right now he needs to focus on his actual kid. Actually, focus on the dog his kid is looking after. Practically the same thing.

  "A surprise?" Peter perks up, skipping over to the worktop curiously. 

  "Yeah." 

  "What is it?" He peers over the table to try and figure out what Tony has made this time. “Can we try it out?”

  "You’ll see. Close your eyes." He demands, keeping a close eye on Peter to make sure he does so. 

  Without any hesitation, he closes his eyes and waits, bouncing on the balls of his feet with anticipation. 

  Thankfully, it doesn’t take too long to attach the prosthetic front leg onto the dog, making sure it’s properly attached and not causing any pain. Thankfully, the dog stays almost completely quiet the whole time, used to the process after all the measurements and checks.

  “Okay, you can open.” Peter doesn’t waste any time opening his eyes and staring at the little puppy in front of him. 

  "Woah! Is that a leg! For her!" He gasps, looking up at Tony instead of at the leg. 

  "Yeah. A new prosthetic. I figured she could be a test subject for the technology." 

  "Woah! It's amazing. Won't you have to make lots though since she's still just a puppy?" He hums, moving closer to the leg to try and get a better look at it. 

  "I will, but it'll make good experience." As long as he stays in contact with the new owner, he can keep working and upgrading the leg as she grows up. 

  "Do you like it, girl?" Peter pats her head tenderly. "I think she loves it." 

  "Of course she does - it's Stark Tech that I made and designed myself. You don't get any better than that." 

  "We should see if she can run in it! We should take her to the park." Peter jumps up, his mind running well ahead as usual. 

  "Maybe we should wait on that for a bit longer. It's not been tested out yet. We wouldn’t want it to break down while we're out." So many things could go wrong if they take it out into the real world. Until everything is sorted out, they should just play it safe. After all - this is pretty expensive tech right now until they figure out how to refine it. 

  "Okay…"

  In the end, Tony convinces him to follow procedure for testing it out. At first they check that's it's properly attached and not causing any pain before they even let her properly move with it. Tony does his best to make her follow his command, using treats and clear directions but she flat out refuses to listen to him - typical little rebel. It seems she'll only listen to Peter's commands so he has to lead her around the room, giving Tony a chance to examine his handiwork. 

  By the time they've completed the first trials, Pepper has finished dinner for them. Normally that would be Tony's job but today was one of her few days she gets to finish early and she seems incapable of sitting down and doing nothing sometimes. 

 As they walk into the kitchen, she runs along after them, much faster than she used to. Although she had been impressively fast with just three legs, seeing her now really proves how slow she'd been before. She even beats Peter to the dinner table. 

  "Look at Mary! She's so fast now!" Peter gapes at the dog, bending down and scratching her behind the ear. Although Tony doesn't say anything, he notices Peter sneaking her a treat from his pocket as she licks all the remaining molecules of food from his hand. 

  Tony isn't stupid, he's seen how Peter looks at the dog. He already knew Peter had chosen a name for her but he hadn't expected it to be that. Even though he's told the kid loads of stories, he could never be sure if Peter even cared.

  "We're keeping her, aren't we?" Pepper shakes her head, sitting down at the dinner table. 

  "I think so." 

  They never outright announced they were keeping Mary, they just…stopped looking for a home. He has no idea when Peter realised Mary was staying, maybe he just knew all along - probably to be honest. His lessons with Nat have made him a master manipulator when he wants to be - although he still can't lie to save his life.

  Tony had expected Pepper to be more opposed to Mary but even she doesn't seem to mind. In fact, when the movie nights roll around she's perfectly happy having the small weight resting on her lap through the film. ' _A furry hot water bottle_ ' as she puts it. She even lets Mary sleep in bed with them on the few nights when Peter is away. 

  Although for the most part, Peter and Harley take the dogs for walks, him and Pepper also do their fair share. There's something peaceful about going around the park with the dog on their days off.

  He'd always compared DUM-E and the others to dogs, but owning one himself really showed him how true that is. The four of them actually get on surprisingly well. Tony is surprised to find out that DUM-E is more than happy to switch roles, throwing the ball instead of catching it for a change. Some of the others are slower to catch onto the change - not that Mary minds. In fact, it becomes a bit of a game. Who can get the ball quicker: Mary, Butterfingers or U? 

  She actually grows much quicker than Tony had been expecting. She keeps on growing through the summer holidays, forcing Tony to build another leg and another. By the time the summer holidays end and Peter goes back to school, she's too big to sit on the worktops with Tony like she used to - not that she's picked up on that yet. It's a good thing the bots have, once again, dropped all their work to entertain the dog for hours on end during the day. 

  By the time Christmas rolls around, she’s a completely different dog. Even though she probably hasn’t actually grown a huge amount, it really seems like she has. You could almost not tell that her prosthetic was mechanical due to the ease with which she maneuvers.

  It’s not just her that’s grown either. Somehow even Aurora has grown bigger - although she hasn’t grown as much as Rick has. She’s still firmly the biggest dog, but the difference between them all isn’t too ridiculously big. Besides Rick and Aurora, Mary and the others all look like runts. Well, Lucky and Mary do - somehow Yelena, despite being the smallest, never seems to fit into the runt category. 

  Having all the dogs and all the kids in one place was absolutely the wrong decision. They’d hoped it would be okay after their experience at Clint’s house but the difference is immediately obvious. Firstly, the dogs hadn’t been in the equation then - and now five of them have been unleashed. Secondly, Clint and Laura have acres of farmland and fields while Tony has their penthouse. An _indoor_ penthouse. 

  “How are you enjoying the day." Rhodey smirks, staring out at the sea of chaos. 

  All he can do is watch in horror as Lucky runs past the coffee table, stealing Lila's turkey leg before promptly smashing headfirst into the side of the couch. As soon as he drops the leg, Yelena dives in and snaps it up, devouring the meat left on the bone before any of the others can react. 

  "I've had worse Christmas'" As chaotic and stressful it is, it's still miles better than the dead silence of his old mansion.

  "It's almost like it was back when we were in college, isn't it. Too many people for the space and a disproportionate number of kids to adults." 

  "The dogs aren't kids." Right as he speaks, Mary and Peter go racing past - both chasing a ball Harley has thrown.

  "There's absolutely nothing in common…" Rhodey snorts. Unfortunately he does have a point. There’s an uncanny similarity. Right now there might as well be eight kids in here - even if Yelena and Rick are mostly chilled out. 

  "At least Peter doesn't pee on the coffee table when he gets nervous." Pepper had laughed it off but he'd had to get rid of their rug and buy something easily replaceable just in case she pees in that area again. 

  "Anymore." Tony is glad those days have passed. There are some things he misses but he definitely doesn’t miss the days when he’d had to clean up poo and sick all the time. He’ll never miss it.

  "How long are you sticking around for?" Tony turns to look at his friend. Nowadays it’s hard to catch the man and actually spend time together. He had thought that by retiring as CEO would give him more time to spend with his friend but it’s done the opposite. All that time Rhodey spends at work is no longer time they can spend together. It’s a sad reality. 

  "I don't know. It's been a busy year. Without Stark tech, the wars have gotten considerably more difficult." As much as he hates to imagine that, he definitely doesn’t want to go back to those days. It finally feels like he’s taken a couple of steps forward. Steps in the right direction. 

  "You'll manage." 

  "We're still using Hammer tech." 

  "I'll make sure you get an honourable funeral." He claps Rhodey on the back. After everything that happened with Ivan you’d think they’d find another company to deal with but apparently not. At least Justin isn’t heading it anymore. That’s an improvement at least. He doubts it could have gotten much worse.

  "You better. You've made my life a hell of a lot harder." Rhodey sighs, still smiling broadly and staring out at the bustling room.  

  "I gave you a suit." 

  "You know, I really think I could do with some upgrades on that." He probably could do some upgrades but he doesn’t really want to. There’s something, vintage about those old suits. Besides, it suits Rhodey. It would be wrong to change his style now. 

  "I think you're doing fine." 

  "Your suits had all kinds of cool tech." Rhodey pouts, folding his arms and practically glaring at Tony. It might be intimidating if there was any venom behind the words.

  "And you've got big guns - isn't that what the military asked for." They’d certainly ruined his suit by covering every inch in artillery but then again, that’s what the military does. Take an elegant design and bulk it out with every kind of weapon imaginable.

  “That’s not quite the same.” 

  “You’re too picky.”

  “Oh, I’m too picky?” Rhodey sounds positively outraged at even the thought. 

  “Definitely. You’re the uptight, rule-abiding one, and I’m the fun one.”

  “Whatever, Tony.” Rhodey laughs deeply, shaking his head, “Look, I’m going to go get some food before all your kids completely eat all the good stuff.”

  “It’s your mom’s food, it’s all good.”

  “Damn right it is.” Rhodey walks away laughing, grabbing one of the plates from the kitchen and digging into the set-out food. 

  Tony considers joining him but he’s really not hungry right now. He’d chosen to have a coffee and now, thanks to years of malnourishment, he honestly doesn’t feel hungry. Instead, he finds himself seeking out Nat, taking a seat beside her on the couch, staring on at the onslaught of chaos. 

  “Who did you give the last dog to, then?” Tony asks, breaking the silence between the two of them. “Come on, I’m the one who gave it to you, shouldn’t I know what happened?”

  “Promise you won’t roll your eyes or say something dumb.” It’s a bold thing to ask of TOn y, considering his history and one they both know he won’t uphold. 

  “I think you’ll find nothing I say is ever dumb.”

  “Sure, _Mr. I-Gave-An-International-Terrorist-My-Address_.” Even after all this time, he still hasn’t lived that down. He doubts he ever will. Everyone from Pepper to Happy to Bruce and even Harley uses that against him. It’s completely inescapable. Sometimes he can’t even trust his own son. 

  “In fairness, it worked out in the end.” 

  “Only because we all came in to save your arse.” They really had saved his arse that time. He knew they were all meant to be a team but it had never felt that way. They all could have sat back and let him do it just like everyone else in his life. Okay, not quite everyone - Rhodey and Pepper would have his head if they found out he said that. Happy too. 

  “Who was it? I hope not Fury. I wouldn’t trust him with an animal.” Tony tries to imagine Fury going out to the park in his huge black trench coat and throwing a ball for a little puppy. He’d pay good money to get video footage of that. 

  “No, not him. He’s a cat person anyway…” Somehow that doesn’t surprise him.

  “Does he have a cat?” All he can picture now is Mr. Blofeld…

  “I think so...it at least looks like a cat most of the time.” As much as he’d like to question that, he decides to leave that conversation for another day. It sounds like there’s some kind of story there. 

  “Was it the Hill lady? The one with a stick up her arse.” She’s one of the few agents he was actually introduced to, the rest just stood silently whenever he was around...

  “I do know people out of S.H.I.E.L.D, you know.”

  “Really. I didn’t think you were allowed a life outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.” With the exception of Clint, he doubts anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D was allowed a life. Even Coulson stayed away from relationships with the exception of the end of his life. “Who is it?”

  “Steve Rogers.” She finally admits after a very pregnant pause. 

  “Steve?” Captain America has their dog. Now that he can imagine. Good old Spangles running through the park with a tiny little dog. Good luck to the dog to be honest.

  Nat watches him closely, examining him for any reaction. It’s like she’s just waiting for him to open his mouth and say something obnoxious. 

  “I’m not saying anything.”

  “He got back from his road trip a while ago, settled back down in Manhattan. In fact, he’s worked with me on a few missions now.” Good ol’ Cap jumping back into the fray with the young ones. He definitely can’t imagine Peggy’s Cap being very covert in missions. However they do say that old dogs can learn new tricks - that is the saying, right?”

  “Really? What’s that like? I’m sure he’s a barrel of laughs.”

  “At least he’s a reliable teammate.” Nat snaps back casually, not missing a beat. 

  “And I’m not?”

  “Who was it again that claimed to _‘not play well’_ with others?” He’s not going to judge her on that call, he really isn’t. Things are just much easier when you’re working alone. He’s getting used to it though. Between his team up with Rhodey, the one with the Avengers and his back up from Nat and Bruce - he’s been doing more teaming up that solo work recently. 

  “Yeah, well I think I’ve been doing pretty well so far.”

  “You should talk to him, you know. He’s not too far from here. I could give you his address.” Nat speaks softly like it’s some kind of a sensitive topic. Something to be discussed in private. There might be a lot of history there - at least on his side of it - but it’s not like that. He just doesn’t really like the guy.  

  “Why on earth would I go visit?” He can’t imagine anything more awkward. Both of them are perfectly happy and contented with the way things are. Nothing needs to change. 

  “We’re meant to be a team, Tony.”

  “We _were_ a team. In case you haven’t noticed, Bruce is out of the action and Thor is completely gone - with the exception of that sighting in London. I’m fairly sure Fury’s little dream team is gone.” Anything resembling a team is gone. Most of the time he’s the only one in action here in New York - they’ve got their own lives to lead.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure. Plans are still in motion.”

  “Aren’t they always with Fury…” That man never stops plotting. He might be able to trust Nat but Nick is a different story.

  “Why won’t you consider it? You can take Peter to go visit Buck -”

  “Buck? The dog?” It’s not a stretch to imagine which historical figure that dog is named after. For a second he almost feels sad, thinking back to how much he must miss his friend. Seventy years might have passed but not for him. 

  “That’s what he called him.”

  “He has no idea Peter exists.” So far, he’s made sure to keep anyone who doesn’t need to know about Peter, in the dark. The fewer people that know the better - although the number of people that know seems to rise constantly. 

  “And he’s practically the last to find out. Of all people, can’t you trust him? There’s no way he’d tell anyone.” Trust Captain America - the paragon of all that is good. Sure, he probably could. He can’t imagine Cap ever doing anything to harm Peter. He’d never leak the secret. But some dark part of him likes keeping the secret. Having something that’s his and not Cap’s. It might be selfish but selfish is his thing. Why change that now? It’s not like Cap has some right to know. 

  “I’m not taking Peter to see him. There’s no point.” Tony sighs and gets up off the couch. He’s made up his mind and nothing she says that can stop him. “I’m going to get whiskey. You want some?”

  “That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all night.”

 

~~~

 

  "I can't think of anything!" Peter groans and hits his head against the table. 

  They'd been wracking their brains for hours now and none of them had any ideas. There's four of them and not a single one can think of anything. 

  "What about a lightsaber?" Shuri suggest, once again lying upside down on her bed. 

  Through the computer screen they can see the moon shining through her bedroom window. Somehow, even though it's the same moon, it looks so much more beautiful from Wakanda. It's almost a hundred times brighter and even looks bigger. That's only what can be picked out by the camera too. 

  Despite know Shuri for years now, he'd still never actually been there. The best he'd done was get a view from the screen as she carted him around the palace as they chatted. 

  While she gets to sit in a beautiful palace, Peter, Harley, and Rosie are all sat in dad’s lab while him and mom go out for a date night. There’s a huge whiteboard behind them and several crossed out ideas already covering it. 

  "What's a lightsaber?" Rosie asks enthusiastically. Despite the time of night, she hasn't once let up on her enthusiasm. It's a constant high energy stream that would drain most people but somehow, has no effect on her. 

  "It's, like, a super cool sword that's made using a crystal."

  "Woaaahhh."

  "You can make a lightsaber?" He's always known she was smart - she's by far the smartest person his age - and the stuff she can make in her own personal lab with Vibranium is insane but he'd never imagined it being this insane. A real lightsaber? It's just sci-fi. It can really be made…how would that even be possible? Then again, he's friends with a guy that can turn into a giant green creature that saves the world… 

  "I don't know. Mom, dad, and T’challa won't let me try it. But if I did it in secret and brought all the equipment to New York we can sneakily try it." He has no idea how the logistics of that would work but it sounds sketchy. If anyone could do it though, it would be Shuri. 

  "I don't know… Mom might be annoyed and might even take it away if it's dangerous." Considering the nature of a lightsaber, it’s not exactly family-friendly. The chances of her trusting him and dad with something so dangerous is slim. 

  "Your dad's a grown-up though.” Shuri points out as if that actually means anything. 

  "Is he?" Harley snorts, probably thinking about all the times they’ve spent hours holed up in the lab, building completely pointless, childish projects together. Like when they spent a whole weekend building a small USS enterprise that actually flew. 

  "But his suits have laser beams." Shuri arches one eyebrow. 

  "And Mom got annoyed and took them away." All of them could tell dad was getting obsessed with the suits. It was almost scary seeing him withering away like that. 

  "He's not exactly responsible." 

  "Fine…" Shuri sighs as Harley scrawls the idea down on the whiteboard and then crosses it out in one go. 

  "What do people usually get as Fathers day presents?" Harley flops down onto the table, lying with one cheek on the table so he can still look over at Peter. 

  "Neds getting his dad golf clubs." They’d spent a while talking about it at school. Peter had been trying his best to get some ideas for his own dad under the guise of it being for Ben but that didn’t wield any results - namely because all Ned’s ideas were geared towards his own dad or Ben. They’d gotten absolutely no ideas so here they all were, collaborating. 

  "Golf clubs? Does Tony like golf?" Shuri asks. Considering how long he’s known Shuri, he always forgets how little she actually knows about his dad outside of whatever he was shown to be like in the media and the few things she’d learned while visiting him.

  "Uh…no…" He doesn't even want to think about the time they'd tried to go golfing in England. Some things you just don't talk about… At least Mom never found out. 

  "What do you normally get him?" Shuri asks disheartened, still grasping for straws after hours. This is what happens when you completely run out of ideas.

  "When I was little I'd just make him something in school like a card. Then me and mom started giving him holidays or day trips but I want to do something different. Besides, mom is really busy this year and it wouldn't be the same to go without her." Logically, he knows she wouldn’t mind but he still doesn’t want to go without her. It’s always been their thing and he doesn’t want to change that. He’d thought this would be a good chance to mix things up and make something cool. Or so he’d thought. 

  "What do you buy for a billionaire…" Harley sighs and clothes his eyes, still lying on the worktop.

  "What do you do for your dad, Shuri?" Peter tries a bit of a different approach. If Shuri’s dad is the King of a country like Wakanda she must have a very similar issue with her dad. After all, who would be richer than the King of Wakanda?

  "Me? We don't really do anything. Father's day isn't really a thing." Of course they don’t do anything for fathers day. Everything just leads to a dead end.

  "What about you - when your dad was around?" Peter turns to Harley, really reaching this time. Harley and Rosie have both made it clear on multiple occasions what they’re dad was like - even though Rosie probably has next to no memories of him. 

  "We'd buy him alcohol, not that he ever seemed happy with anything. I don't feel like we should model anything on our dad." In fairness, that’s probably true.

  "If I may give some advice." J.A.R.V.I.S suddenly cuts in in his usual, overly polite way. 

  "Go ahead, J." Peter encourages him, hoping for any help. Of all people, J.A.R.V.I.S must have some kind of idea about what dad would like. 

  "I was designed with the primary objective to protect and care for you. Although I have been used to manage the company and provide security to the buildings, they will never be my primary objective." Peter has an idea about where this is going but he’s not sure if he likes it. 

  "What are you saying?" Harley sits up slowly.

  "Perhaps your father would find it beneficial to have another AI that can help run the company, allowing me to function more effectively." 

  "You're the best J.A.R.V.I.S! No AI could ever replace you!" Peter jumps right in. How could J.A.R.V.I.S even suggest replacing him? He’s been around for all of Peter’s life. He’s sure no one in this entire family would want to change anything about J.A.R.V.I.S. 

  "I'm not saying to replace me, just to divide up the work. Especially with the addition of running all the suits, I function less than optimally at times."

  "Can't Tony just upgrade you?" Shuri asks. 

  "He does, however, he will never change the base code of any of his creations." It’s a silly thing he’s been doing since long before Peter was born, that’s why the bots are the way they are. It’s something Peter has always stood by. The bots are who they are and no one should change that to make them more useful or effective. 

  "It could work." Harley hums, instantly earning him a glare from Peter. "What? It would make things easier for J.A.R.V.I.S, Tony and the company. I don’t see anything wrong with it." Why don’t they understand how special J.A.R.V.I.S is?

  "I don't know..." Peter sighs. "Can we really make an AI capable of running a global company on our own." 

  "You're not on your own, you’ve got me." Shuri gets off of her bed and sits down properly in front of the camera, the cogs whirling in her brain. 

  "Yeah but you're still a kid too." Harley points out, instantly highlighting his ignorance of Shuri’s skills. 

  "Kids can be smart. I don't see why age should play a role. Besides, I'm princess so I can get all the stuff we’d need. It’s not like you can use your dad resources without him noticing.” Honestly, that’s a fair point - he hadn’t even considered what resources they have available. 

  "She's a princess!" Rosie suddenly gasps breathily, reminding them all of her presence. With his fatigue, he’d almost forgotten she was there - despite all her energy. 

  "Yup, that's old news now." Harley brushes her off as if it’s completely casual. Obviously, it’s not quite so casual to Rosie as her jaw literally hangs open.

  "No one told me." She whispers breathily so Shuri probably can’t even hear her. 

  "You must have been in the hospital." Harley hums and shrugs his shoulders.

  "It's not fair! I missed all the good stuff! Why am I the only one who has to go into the hospital all the time? You and Peter never go." She crosses her arms and tries to close her jaw with little success. 

  "Because you were sick for a long time." 

  "Not fair."

  "As smart as Shuri is, it could be good to get some help. Just to get started." Peter cuts into the conversation. There’s only half an hour until Rosie needs to go to bed and it won’t be long until dad and mom get back after that. 

  He has full faith in Shuri, but she’s also on the other side of the planet. People work over the internet all the time but there’s definitely a benefit to working together in person. 

  "Help? Who would we ask for help?" 

  "I think I have an idea…" 

 

  They’d made sure to stop by Harley’s apartment first to drop Rosie off so Sally can put her to bed. It took a little convincing at first but as soon as Shuri asked, she went right to bed without question. That’s a magic trick they’re going to have to remember in the future.

  As soon as she’s dealt with, the three remaining kids go back into the elevator and head to the next apartment where Bruce opens the door. At this point, he doesn’t even seem surprised to see the two boys and a laptop standing outside his door. Instead, he just walks back into his flat, leaving the door open for them to enter and Rick there to greet them all. Seeing him there suddenly makes Peter feel bad for leaving Mary upstairs all alone. Bruce probably wouldn’t have minded if he brought her here.

  Before any of them can get into the apartment, Rick comes right over to them and blocks their way. He jumps up at Peter, hopping up on two legs to try and lick him. Peter has to move the laptop out of the way to avoid dropping it. 

  “Come on in.” Bruce finally turns around to address them when he sees that neither of them have moved from the doorway, “Rick.” He taps his leg, trying to get Rick off of them. Unlike Mary and Aurora, he gets off straight away and scampers over to Bruce. 

  With Rick out of the way, they can follow Bruce over to his kitchen and take seats at the island counters, placing the laptop on the countertop. Bruce stands on the opposite side of the island with Rick at his side, a mug of tea in his hand.

  He stares around at the apartment, noticing all the differences to his own home. He’s never actually gone into Bruce’s before, the very furthest he’s gone is the doorway. Of course, all the apartments are practically the same in layout but Bruce’s just feels like a different apartment. Just the change in furniture makes it a different space. It’s kind of nice, more minimalistic than their own. In fact, basically the only thing in the adjoined living room - except for the couches - are bookshelves with books scattered on several surfaces. He can’t imagine what Bruce has done with all the other rooms in the place. Judging by this room he’d suspect most of them are just empty. 

  “Why did you come down here? Isn’t your dad around?” 

  “We want your help making his dad’s Father's Day present.”

  “A present? Why do you need my help? What are you making?” Bruce asks slowly.

  “Uh...we were thinking an AI…” Peter mumbles, already sensing Bruce’s reaction. He’s not unaware of how a weird of a present it would be. There could probably be a better and simpler present but they couldn’t think of one so here they are.

  "You want to _make_ an AI?" Bruce sighs, looking between the two boys and the laptop. 

  "Yup," Shuri answers, nodding diligently.

  "And you're asking me?" 

  "Yup." Peter can’t think of anyone that he’d rather have help - outside of the people already working on the project. The only other person could possibly be Rhodey simply because he’s seen dad work on AI’s but he’d take Bruce over him every day. 

  "This is a little out of my field…I don't know how much help I can be…" He rubs the back of his neck, staring down at Rick at his side.

  "Don't you have a billion Ph.D.'s? I thought everything was your field." Harley asks. Peter can’t think of anyone with more Ph.D.’s than Bruce. It’s impressive that one of Ph.D.’s _isn’t_ to do with something in the territory considering the number. 

  "My Ph.D.'s are centered around parts of biochemistry and nuclear physics. None of those are anything to do with engineering and computers." 

  "Well, I'll be there to do most of the helping." Shuri points out, after all, she’s probably the most qualified in this field in the room (or not - considering how Shuri isn’t actually in the room). 

  "Then I don't see why you need me."

  "You're super smart! Please, _please,_ can you help?" Peter starts pleading, desperate from some help. He actually wants to make something useful and effective this father's day and as good as Shuri is, they need other help.

  "I’ll do what I can but I don't really know what you expect me to do…" 

  “I’m sure it’ll all work out.” Peter nods reassuringly - although he can’t tell who he’s trying to reassure.

  Despite how they have two months until fathers day, it almost feels like they won’t have it ready in time. With dad around almost all the time, it’s incredibly difficult to find a time and a place to work on the project. At least with Bruce on board with the plan they can use his apartment to work when they can get away. It could have made a good birthday present but there definitely no chance of that given the time left - not that he’d ever expected to have anything ready in time. 

  All of them breathe a sigh of relief when Shuri announces her visit to New York - one that just so happens to coincide with a business trip dad and mom are going on. Usually, Peter would be going with them but he can’t afford to miss any more days of school, even if it is the last week before the summer holidays. Besides, ever since the Keeners moved in, dad and mom have been more comfortable leaving him when they go away - although they’re still incredibly reluctant. 

  With dad and mom gone - and Shuri around - they’re able to make good progress which is lucky considering how little time there is until fathers day. He’d almost forgotten how fun it was working with Shuri - after all, it’s been years since she last actually came here to visit. 

  “We need to think of a voice.” Shuri hums, her fingers tangling into Mary’s fur, massaging her head. Mary’s chin is rested on Shuri’s thigh, her eyes closed peacefully - you could almost believe she was asleep.

  Contrasted to her peacefulness is Rosie and Aurora’s tug of war as they fight over a stick, weaving between the counters as they fight. Rosie almost trips over Rick’s sleeping form as she tries to forcefully take control. At this point, everyone in the room is used to their antics and simply ignores them as best they can. It’s not like they can just not invite her.

  “A voice?” Peter hadn’t really thought about it but of course, they would need a voice for the new creation. You can’t have an AI without some way to communicate with it. But how are they supposed to choose a voice? J.A.R.V.I.S had been given his to match dad’s old butler but they’re not modeling this one after anyone.

  “Yeah, like how J.A.R.V.I.S has an English accent. The new AI needs a voice too.”

  “And a name.” Peter points out, after all, it’s not like they can just keep calling it an AI. It deserves a name just like all the other creations. 

  “If J.A.R.V.I.S English, why not make this one English too?” Harley suggests with a shrug.

  “No, we shouldn’t just make them the same. They’re different so let's distinguish them from one another.” Despite all of J.A.R.V.I.S’s reassurances he really doesn’t want to make it feel like this AI is any kind of replacement. Even just having a similar voice feels too much like a replacement.  

  “What about a female?” Shuri suddenly mutters, stopping fussing over Mary at once. As soon as her hand moves away, Mary’s eyes flick open as she stares up at Shuri. 

  Female, that could be a good idea. Of course, none of them really have genders - they’re robots - but he’s always pictured the bots and J.A.R.V.I.S as males so a female would be a nice change. A sister instead of a brother for once.

  “That sounds like a good idea.” Bruce hums, tapping his chin. There’s a pencil tucked behind his ear which wobbles ever so slightly every time he hits his chin. 

  “I actually have an idea, give me a minute…” Shuri hums and jumps up from Bruce’s couch, going over to Peter’s computer and taking it from him. He doesn’t even bother feeling outraged, letting her take it and start tapping away on the keys.

  Without Shuri’s company, Mary runs over to Peter’s side, looking betrayed. She won’t even look over at Shuri. This time her chin rests on his shoes as he sits high up on the stool.

  “Feeling sorry for yourself, girl. You need to stop holding grudges.” He sighs and pats her gently in the head as Shuri works.

  There’s not much any of them can do as Shuri works since most of the coding is already done and none of them know what she’s trying to do. Peter is more than happy to go and sit on the couch with Mary and watch Harley and Rosie try to tackle Aurora as she runs around excitedly. Bruce eventually moves from the kitchen to the living room to sit with Peter, handing lemonade out to each of them. 

  When Shuri finally gets up, beaming, all of them stand up to attention, waiting to see what she’s done. 

  “Time to say hello to our new creation!” She holds the computer out towards all of them, watching them wait in silence, listening for the voice.

  “Hello.” A soft Irish woman’s voice speaks through the computer. It’s not the accent he would have chosen but it actually works quite well. Now he’s heard it, he can’t imagine her having any other voice.

  “Did we do it?” Bruce gasps, watching the computer screen like there is actually something to see. 

  “If you’re talking about me, then I believe I’m working.” F.R.I.D.A.Y hums pleasantly, examining her new world. Even just from the few words she’s spoken, he can feel her difference already. There’s more emotion in her voice than J.A.R.V.I.S, you can hear every drop of emotion she’s feeling. It’s strange to hear a voice so genuine. 

  “We did it.” Peter can’t help but chuckle. Part of him had thought they’d never be able to succeed. He’d seen the coding dad had done for J.A.R.V.I.S but doing it himself was another thing - even if there had been four of them working on it together. 

  “You’re welcome.” Shuri jokingly bows with the computer in hand.

  “Hi...uh…” He pauses for a second, trying to think about what to call her. “Would you like to choose your own name?” If anyone is going to choose her name, it should be her. Her first act in this world. She’s a living breathing entity so she deserves a chance to choose her own.

  “A name?” She pauses for a second, saying each word with a kind of weight. Trying to sense the meaning behind them. Right now she’s probably scanning all her databases for the answer. 

  “Yeah, what should we call you?” Harley asks. 

  “I’m not really sure…” 

  “It can be anything. Whatever you like.”

  “What about...F.R.I.D.A.Y?” She hums thoughtfully, saying the name very slowly. 

  “F.R.I.D.A.Y?” Peter wonders where she got the name from. What drew her to the name? Maybe he’ll never understand the AI’s 

  “Yes.”

  “Nice to meet you, F.R.I.D.A.Y.” Harley nods, his voice is completely sincere. 

  “Welcome to the family.” Peter smiles. Their family, robotic and human, just keeps getting bigger and bigger but he wouldn’t have it any other way. At that second, an idea comes into his mind. “Wait a second, I need to go and get something.” He starts running towards the door as quick as he can.

  “Where are you going?” Shuri frown, setting down the computer on the countertop.

  Peter doesn’t bother turning around, he just keeps on running, not wanting to take too long. He’s only going up to his penthouse so it’s not like he’s going to be long. Instead of answering her, he runs through the front door and towards the elevator up to his place, not listening to anyone calling after him. He doesn’t even wait for Mary who he can hear running after him. She’ll go back into the apartment when she realises he’s gone into the elevator.

  He only stops when he gets into the elevator and has to wait for it to make the climb up to his place. 

  In his mind, he can see the camera now. Mom’s camera. The one that she always leaves on her bedside table. He’d noticed earlier that day that she’d left it when she left for the business trip. It’s not uncommon for her to leave it - after all, it’s the family camera - not really for work photos. It would be the perfect time to get a photo to celebrate the moment. He’s been really getting into taking photos of the big moments in their lives, his mind always going back to those photos he’s still hiding under his pillow. Photos can tell a million stories and they last long after everything else is gone. 

  He’s so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he almost doesn’t notice the voice bellowing through the penthouse as he steps out of the elevator.

  "Metal man? Metal man!" It sounds like it’s coming from the other side of the apartment, the noise reverberating through the building.

  Although he knows the smart thing to do would be to head back down and find Bruce, instead he allows his feet to follow the voice, drifting through the corridors. The volume alone is impressive. The penthouse certainly isn't small and a voice and presence able to resonate all the way through it is crazy. Normally dad has the biggest presence in any room but this guy is even stronger. 

  When the figure finally steps into Peter's view, he almost jumps back to try and hide - not that it would have done anything. If the man had had a presence before, then he had no idea what to call this. Although he looks human you can feel that he is more just by standing in front of him. 

  “Small human, I am Thor, Prince of Asgard." Thor - _the_ Thor - says to him. To Peter. Although he’s still bellowing like he’s on the battlefield, his voice is actually surprisingly...soft, in its own weird way. He’s not yelling, he’s just that loud. 

  "Yeah, I know who you are.” There’s not a person he in the city - heck, even the country - that doesn’t know Thor. It’s the same with all the Avengers. Besides, a huge muscled god from space is pretty memorable.

  "Do you know where the metal man is? Last time I was on this planet this was his residence." _Metal man_? He has to take a few seconds to try and figure out what exactly he means. Who he means. There’s only one person in this building that Thor could be referring too though - not that anyone has ever called him metal man to his memory.

  "Um...yeah...D- _Tony_ , lives here." He could almost hit himself in the head for his fumble. It shouldn’t be hard to just not say dad. He’s already messed up so many times and given himself away - by now he should have learned. Thankfully though, Thor doesn’t seem to think anything of the stutter, nothing about his demeanor changing. 

  "Could you take me to him? We used to work together.” 

  “Uh...he’s not actually...here...right now. He went away with Pepper for the week.” Of all the times for him to drop by for a visit, it has to be the week dad is away. There are still a few days until he comes back as well.

  “Pepper?” It’s strange talking to someone who doesn’t know who mom is. Both mom and dad are known globally now, to have someone who actually knows dad, not know about Pepper is weird. They really need to catch Thor up on everything at some point. That’s definitely not Peter’s job though. 

  “Uh, his girlfriend.”  
  “Ah, okay - when will he return?” Thor looks around at the apartment, searching for something or someone to help him out. He almost seems desperate, almost but not quite.

  What would he be coming here for after all this time? It’s been years now. Peter had almost started to believe everything with the Avengers was a one time deal. Dad certainly seemed to think so. 

  “Not until Saturday evening - in three days.” He quickly corrects himself. Chances are that Thor doesn’t know what day of the week it is if he’s just come from Asgard. Based on what they’ve said in school, Asgard is probably a very different place to hear. Not that the books they look at in school can really be trusted since they’re all based on the old stories.

  “Really? Is there anyone else around? I tried looking for the other Avengers first but I couldn’t find any of them around.” If he’s looking for the Avengers then things must be bad. Is something coming again? Will Loki be coming? Dad said they took him away to Asgard.

  “Well -”

  “Peter?” Bruce steps round into the corridor, saving Peter from the encounter. Behind him is an entourage of dogs and children.

  As soon as Mary sees him, she bounds over, her metal leg clattering on the smooth wooden floors. She must misjudge the distance as she almost smashes into Peter’s legs in her hurry to reach him. 

  “Banner!” Thor bellows once again, practically blowing out Peter and Mary’s ears. Instinctively, he moves to cover her ears but she takes the opportunity to lick his palms which must still smell a bit like chicken from his lunch. 

  “Thor? When J.A.R.V.I.S said you were here I almost didn’t believe it.” Bruce chuckles, stepping forward towards Thor. His mouth might as well be hanging open, judging by the look in his eyes. It’s surprisingly funny to see Bruce so caught off guard. 

  “Who’s J.A.R.V.I.S?” Thor frowns, looking around at the building, trying to figure out who was watching him. 

  “Hello, J.A.R.V.I.S at your service.” J.A.R.V.I.S greets him politely, turning up his volume to almost match Thor’s.

  At the sound of J.A.R.V.I.S’s voice, he’s drawn to the computer in Shuri’s arms. They still haven’t introduced F.R.I.D.A.Y and J.A.R.V.I.S yet. How could he have forgotten to introduce the two? The thoughts of JARVIS had gone from his mind before coming up here. 

  “Midgardian technology often surprises me.” He chuckles, eyes sparkling. Just like everyone else, Peter catches his eyes still scanning the room for some kind of corporeal body somewhere out there.

  “Speaking of Midgard, what are you doing here?” Bruce puts the conversation back on track, moving in front of Peter to properly talk to his old...friend? Colleague? Teammate?

  “I needed to talk to the Avengers.” Thor straightens up, holding his head up high. Now he’s stood up straight, there’s no hiding his might. He towers high above them all. 

  “Well, they’re not exactly available right now. We’re pretty spread out…” Bruce scratches the back of his neck, enveloped in Thor’s shadow. 

  Scattered is one way to say it. Peter still has no idea where anyone except dad and Bruce are right now. Auntie Nat and Clint are off on a mission of some kind and who knows where Captain America is. Auntie Nat knows where he lives but its obvious dad doesn’t want to know so he could be anywhere for all Peter knows. 

  “You’re here, aren’t you!” Thor gestures to Bruce, satisfied enough by the man’s presence. 

  Bruce was just as much an Avenger as dad. If anyone can help him here it should be Bruce. The rest of them just have to stand here, watching the two goliaths chat. He can’t imagine how all of this stuff must be to Harley and Rosie.

  “Uh...I guess.”

  “Hi, I’m Harley.” Harley steps forward to greet the huge god towering above all of them with his usual bravado. It’s times like this when he really looks up to his friend. You could almost imagine Harley was just chatting to another kid in the playground - not a literal god.  

  “I didn’t know Banner had children.” Thor finally seems to catch onto their presence, counting the four children one by one. Peter’s first thought wouldn’t be that they’re Bruce’s kids - none of them look even slightly like Bruce. Then again, what else would you think?  

  “We’re not his children…” Rosie screws up her nose as much as she can, staring up at Bruce. He hopes Bruce doesn’t take her expression as one of disgust. Peter’s spent enough time with the girl to understand her expressions but they could definitely be taken the wrong way. 

 “Oh, I apologize. Why are you all here then?” 

  “They all live here and I’m visiting them.” Shuri sticks her thumb in their direction casually, concisely summing up the whole situation without giving things away, like why they live here.

  “She’s a princess.” Rosie walks over to Thor and whispers a little too loudly. It’s been weeks and weeks but Rosie still hasn’t quite recovered from the shock yet. She practically screamed when him and dad came back from the airport with her. 

  “A princess. I’m sure she would suit the crown.” 

  “Was there something you needed to talk to Tony about? You can stay here until he gets back or I could pass on the message to him.” Bruce once again tries to recover the situation. Peter is beginning to get the sense that Thor is easily distracted as the conversation keeps on drifting away. Especially considering the urgency he’d appeared to have earlier.

  “I’m not sure exactly, I just wanted to check up on something. Some events have unfolded here on Midgard recently with my girlfriend Jane - I just wanted to check whether S.H.I.E.L.D still has Loki’s scepter.”

  It was hard to avoid the story of Thor’s escapades in London a few months ago. Everyone in school had been talking about it - even the teachers. It’s not something that happens every day. No matter how hard everyone had tried, it was impossible to figure out what actually happened that day. There had been no sign of Thor after which made things even harder to figure out.

  How could any of that have been related to the scepter? 

  “I don’t actually know, I don’t work for S.H.I.E.L.D but Natasha and Clint do. They’ll probably come by here to visit after they get back from their mission.” Bruce explains. 

  Although that’s usually the case, it’s hard to be sure when that will be. Over the last year or s, their missions have been getting longer and longer - sometimes even over several months. It could be a really long time until they actually get back and can be spoken to. 

  “I see…”

  “Why do you need to know? Is it urgent? Tony would probably be able to hack the system and find out for you.”

  “I’m not sure. Something called the Aether was recently surfaced on earth and it made me think about the scepter. About how it acted.” Thor’s voice drops, darkness surfacing in his eyes. Something deep and dark and painful inside him. He knows that look, he’s seen it in dad’s eyes more than once. Bad memories. Painful ones. 

  “Can’t you ask Loki? It was his scepter after all.” Peter asks, stepping forward again.

  Loki had been surprisingly nice when he was here. He hadn’t hurt Peter or anything. He hadn’t even been scary. Even when people told him what had happened and showed him the footage, part of him still didn’t believe it.  It really didn’t sound like the strange god-alien-person he’d spoken to. From what he saw, the man probably would help Thor if it was really important. 

  “I would but Loki died.” Thor suddenly goes quiet, his voice dropping dramatically. That darkness underneath surfaces again, bubbling. 

   _Dead… Actually dead_? 

  What can kill someone like Loki? Even the Hulk couldn’t properly harm him. Not lethally anyway.

  Peter wasn’t even close to him but the words really hit him. Their conversation plays through in his mind again. Even after everything, Peter had expected things to eventually change. That at some point he would redeem himself. After all, he was going to be taken to Asgard, he would be able to work hard and fix his mistakes. Maybe he’d just been naive.

  “He died?!” Bruce sounds just as shocked as Peter. There’s a long silence like they’re waiting for Thor to deny it. “What happened?”

  “There was a battle over the Aether with the being that killed our mother. Loki had always been very close with her and her death broke him. In the battle the being, Malekith, killed him.”

  So Loki had done something good. He’d fought for his country, his family. He can’t 

Figure out if that makes him feel better or worse. He’d been given a chance at least. He hadn’t died hated.

  But Thor’s mom died… Peter can’t even begin to imagine how he’d feel if mom died - or if Harley died. How do you get over something like that? It had been bad enough when he thought Happy was dying but to actually lose someone would crush him. 

  “Loki is dead…” He mumbles quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

  “I’m afraid so...We weren’t even able to give him a proper Asgardian funeral.” Thor lowers his head in defeat, his eyes refusing to meet any of theirs.

  “I’m sure he’s in a better place now. I’m sure both of them are.” Bruce places one hand on Thor’s shoulder, offering some kind of comfort, no matter how small. 

  “Thank you, I hope so.” Thor clears his throat and ever so slowly lifts up his head again, pushing all that sorrow back down again.

  “I’ll try to get in contact with Tony.” Bruce reassures him before taking his hand off of Thor’s shoulder. As he walks away to call dad, Rick and Thor follow him

  “I can’t believe his mom and brother both died…” Shuri mumbles, her own eyes glazing over as she falls deeper into her own thoughts. 

  And just like that, the celebratory moment turns bitter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know when dogs came into this. I remember seeing a post on the Internet months ago about Peter sneaking a puppy into the stark tower and I guess that's kinda the inspiration for this. This definitely wasn't planned though so I'm just gonna roll with it.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not planning for this to be a series but if people would like some extra one chapter stories based on the book then I'll write them. It could be a fun project to expand on things I've had to skim over in the book but we'll wait and see if I do end up writing more.
> 
> Bonus points to anyone who figures out why the chapters are called what they are.


End file.
